Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogen carbonate), commonly known

as baking soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of

a sodium cation (Na+) and a bicarbonate anion (HCO3−). Sodium bicarbonate is a white
solid that is crystalline, but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly
salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). The natural
mineral form is nahcolite. It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved
in many mineral springs.

The prefix bi in bicarbonate comes from an outdated naming system and is based on the

observation that there is twice as much carbonate (CO3) per sodium in sodium
bicarbonate (NaHCO3) as there is in sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). The modern chemical
formulas of these compounds express their precise chemical compositions (which were
unknown when the names sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate were coined) as
sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). These names
are unambiguous since sodium always has the +1 oxidation state and carbonate the -2
oxidation state.

Experimental Properties:
Sodium bicarbonate appears as odorless white crystalline powder or lumps. Slightly
alkaline (bitter) taste. pH (of freshly prepared 0.1 molar aqueous solution): 8.3 at 77°F.
pH (of saturated solution): 8-9. Non-toxic.

Melting Point
Decomposes around 50 °C (228°F)

Solubility
100000 mg/L (at 25 °C)

Soluble in water. Insoluble in ethanol

Stability/Shelf Life
Stable under recommended storage conditions.

Stable in dry air, but slowly decomposes in moist air

Decomposition
Sodium bicarbonate starts decomposing when heated over 50 deg C, releasing CO2,
H2O and Na2CO3, with total decomposition at 270 deg C.
2 NaHCO3 → Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2

Medical uses and health

Sodium bicarbonate mixed with water can be used as an antacid to treat acid
indigestion and heartburn.[30] Its reaction with stomach acid produces salt, water,
and carbon dioxide:
NaHCO3 + HCl → NaCl + H2O + CO2(g)
A mixture of sodium bicarbonate and polyethylene glycol such as PegLyte,
[31]
 dissolved in water and taken orally, is an effective gastrointestinal
lavage preparation and laxative prior to gastrointestinal surgery, gastroscopy, etc.
Intravenous sodium bicarbonate in an aqueous solution is sometimes used for cases
of acidosis, or when insufficient sodium or bicarbonate ions are in the blood.[32] In
cases of respiratory acidosis, the infused bicarbonate ion drives the carbonic
acid/bicarbonate buffer of plasma to the left, and thus raises the pH. For this reason,
sodium bicarbonate is used in medically supervised cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Infusion of bicarbonate is indicated only when the blood pH is markedly low (< 7.1–
7.0).[33]
HCO3− is used for treatment of hyperkalemia, as it will drive K+ back into cells during
periods of acidosis.[34] Since sodium bicarbonate can cause alkalosis, it is sometimes
used to treat aspirin overdoses. Aspirin requires an acidic environment for proper
absorption, and the basic environment diminishes aspirin absorption in the case of
an overdose.[35] Sodium bicarbonate has also been used in the treatment of tricyclic
antidepressant overdose.[36] It can also be applied topically as a paste, with three
parts baking soda to one part water, to relieve some kinds of insect bites and stings
(as well as accompanying swelling).[37]
Some alternative practitioners, such as Tullio Simoncini, have promoted baking soda
as a cancer cure, which the American Cancer Society has warned against due to
both its unproven effectiveness and potential danger in use.[38] Edzard Ernst has
called the promotion of sodium bicarbonate as a cancer cure "one of the more
sickening alternative cancer scams I have seen for a long time".[39]
Sodium bicarbonate can be added to local anesthetics, to speed up the onset of their
effects and make their injection less painful.[40] It is also a component of Moffett's
solution, used in nasal surgery.
As early as the 1920s, bicarbonate was found to cause increased bone strength in
patients who were losing calcium in their urine. In 1968, diets producing too much
acid were thought to put bones at risk.[41] Experiments by Anthony Sebastian of
the University of California, San Francisco starting in the late 20th century found that
the body was breaking down bones and muscles to release carbonates, phosphates,
and ammonia, which neutralize acid. Adding bicarbonate to the diet (he chose to use
the sodium-free saleratus, potassium bicarbonate) reduced loss of calcium in
postmenopausal women, amounting to the equivalent of "an arm-and-a-leg's worth"
of bone if this continued for two decades.
 Antacid (such as baking soda) solutions have been prepared and used by protesters
to alleviate the effects of exposure to tear gas during protests.[42][failed verification][43]
Similarly to its use in baking, sodium bicarbonate is used together with a mild acid
such as tartaric acid as the excipient in effervescent tablets: when such a tablet is
dropped in a glass of water, the carbonate leaves the reaction medium as carbon
dioxide gas ( HCO3− + H+ → H2O + CO2↑ or, more precisely, HCO3− + H3O+ → 2 H2O +
CO2↑ ) leaving the medication dissolved in the water together with the resulting salt
(in this example, sodium tartrate).

In sports
Small amounts of sodium bicarbonate have been shown to be useful as a supplement for
athletes in speed-based events, such as middle-distance running, lasting about 1–7
minutes.[57][58] However, overdose is a serious risk because sodium bicarbonate is slightly
toxic;[59] and gastrointestinal irritation is of particular concern.[58] Additionally, this practice
causes an increase in dietary sodium.[60]

Chemistry
Sodium bicarbonate is an amphoteric compound. Aqueous solutions are very
mildly alkaline due to the formation of carbonic acid and hydroxide ion:
HCO−
3 + H2O → H

2CO

3 + OH
−

Sodium bicarbonate can be used as a wash to remove any acidic impurities from a
"crude" liquid, producing a purer sample. Reaction of sodium bicarbonate and
an acid produces a salt and carbonic acid, which readily decomposes to carbon
dioxide and water:
NaHCO3 + HCl → NaCl + H2CO3
H2CO3 → H2O + CO2(g)
Sodium bicarbonate reacts with acetic acid (found in vinegar),
producing sodium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide:
NaHCO3 + CH3COOH → CH3COONa + H2O + CO2(g)
Sodium bicarbonate reacts with bases such as sodium hydroxide to form
carbonates:
NaHCO3 + NaOH → Na2CO3 + H2O
Sodium bicarbonate reacts with carboxyl groups in proteins to give a
brisk effervescence from the formation of CO
2. This reaction is used to test for the presence of carboxylic groups

in protein.

Production
Sodium bicarbonate is produced industrially from sodium carbonate:[70]
Na2CO3 + CO2 + H2O → 2 NaHCO3
 It is produced on the scale of about 100,000 tonnes/year (as of 2001).[71] Commercial
quantities of baking soda are also produced by a similar method: soda ash, mined in
the form of the ore trona, is dissolved in water and treated with carbon dioxide.
Sodium bicarbonate precipitates as a solid from this solution.
Regarding the Solvay process, sodium bicarbonate is an intermediate in the reaction
of sodium chloride, ammonia, and carbon dioxide. The product however shows low
purity (75%).
Although of no practical value, NaHCO3 may be obtained by the reaction of carbon
dioxide with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide:
CO2 + NaOH → NaHCO3

Mining
Naturally occurring deposits of nahcolite (NaHCO3) are found in the Eocene-age
(55.8–33.9 Mya) Green River Formation, Piceance Basin in Colorado. Nahcolite
was deposited as beds during periods of high evaporation in the basin. It is
commercially mined using common underground mining techniques such as
bore, drum, and longwall mining in a fashion very similar to coal mining.
Limited amounts of product are further obtained by solution mining, pumping
heated water through previously mined nahcolite beds and reconstituting the
dissolved nahcolite above ground through a natural cooling crystallization
process. Currently, only Genesis Alkali (formerly Tronox, formerly FMC) in the
Green River Wyoming basin has successfully commercially solution mined the
product.

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