Chemical reactivity of sodium carbonate with oxygen

Group 1 metals are extremely reactive and must be stored away from air to avoid oxidation. The more reactive metals (lithium, sodium, and potassium) are kept in oil, whereas the less reactive metals (lithium, sodium, and potassium) are stored in water (because of its density, lithium floats in oil, but because it is less reactive than the other metals in the group, the thin coating of oil that results is sufficient to prevent reaction).

Sodium carbonate, often known as washing soda, undergoes a breakdown reaction, it is more heat-stable than sodium bicarbonate. The reaction’s balanced equation is:

Na2CO3                       Na2O(s) + CO2 (g)

At ambient temperature, the breakdown of anhydrous sodium carbonate into sodium oxide and carbon dioxide is gradual and completes at 851 degree C. (1124 K).

Overview of sodium carbonate

Sodium carbonate (SO-de-um KAR-bun-ate) is a crystalline solid or odorless white powder with an alkaline taste. (Another alkaline-tasting material is baking soda.) It’s hygroscopic, which means it likes to collect moisture from the air. It’s also available as a monohydrate (Na2CO3 .H2O) and a decahydrate (Na2CO3 .10H2O), both of which have slightly different physical properties than the anhydrous salt. Soda ash refers to the anhydrous form of sodium carbonate, whereas sal soda or washing soda refers to the decahydrate form. One of the most important chemical compounds manufactured in the United States has long been sodium carbonate. Its main application is in the production of glass and other chemicals.

Formula of sodium carbonate: Na2CO3

Elements: Sodium, carbon, oxygen

Compound type: Salt (inorganic)

State: Solid

Molecular weight: 105.99 g/mol

Solubility: Soluble in water; insoluble in ethyl alcohol

Properties: Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is a hygroscopic, odorless grayish white powder at ambient temperature. This characteristic indicates that it can absorb water molecules spontaneously when exposed to air. Sugar is another common chemical with similar hygroscopic properties. Sodium carbonate melts at 1,564°F (851°C), has a density of 2.53 g/cm3, and is water soluble. A soda ash water solution has a basic pH and a strong alkaline flavor. It decomposes and creates bubbles when introduced in a slightly acidic solution. Many commercial antacid products using sodium carbonate as an active ingredient have this effect, which is known as effervescence.

Uses: Many industries use sodium carbonate in the production of a variety of products. The glass industry, which employs sodium carbonate to decompose silicates for glass production, is the largest user. It’s used in the cosmetics sector to make soap. It’s used in the chemical industry as a precursor to a variety of sodium-based reagents. It’s also used in photography, textile manufacturing, and water treatment. In addition to these commercial uses, sodium carbonate is utilized as an antacid in medicine. Sodium carbonate is commonly referred to as washing soda since it is used as a water softener for laundry around the house. It works to erase stains from alcohol, grease, oil, and other substances when used for this purpose.

Overview of oxygen

The nonmetallic chemical element oxygen is found in Group 16 (VIa, or the oxygen group) of the periodic table (O). Oxygen is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is absorbed by animals and converted to carbon dioxide by them; on the other hand, plants use carbon dioxide as a carbon source and return oxygen to the environment. When oxygen reacts with practically every other element, as well as when it reacts with other elements to displace them from their combinations, it generates compounds; in many cases, these reactions are accompanied by the evolution of heat and light, and are called combustions. The most important component is water.

Atomic number is 8

Atomic weight is 15.9994

Density is 1.429 g/litre

Oxidation state: -1, -2, +2 (in compounds with fluorine)

Electron configuration: 1s22s22p4

Occurrence and properties: Oxygen is the most prevalent element in the Earth’s crust, accounting for 46 percent of its mass. The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is 21% by volume, while in seawater it is 89 percent by weight.It is found in rocks as acidic (sulfates, carbonates, silicates, aluminates, and phosphates) and basic (calcium, magnesium, and iron) oxides, as well as saltlike compounds generated from the acidic and basic oxides, such as sulfates, carbonates, silicates, aluminates, and phosphates. Due to the significant cost of removing the element from its tight interactions with metal atoms, these solid complexes are useless as oxygen sources, despite their abundance.

Commercial production and use: When massive quantities of oxygen are required, fractional distillation of liquid air is used. Oxygen is less volatile than nitrogen and argon because it has the highest boiling point of the major components of air. Allowing a compressed gas to expand allows it to cool, which is why the approach works. The following are some of the most important steps in the procedure:

1. Air is filtered to remove particulates
2. Alkali absorption removes moisture and carbon dioxide.
3. Compressed air is compressed, and the heat generated by the compression is removed by standard cooling techniques.
4. Compressed and cooled air is passed into coils contained in a chamber
5. In the chamber, a portion of the compressed air (at approximately 200 atmospheres pressure) is allowed to expand, cooling the coils.
6. The expanded gas is returned to the compressor with multi-stage compression
7. The liquid air is allowed to warm, allowing the light rare gasses to be distilled first, followed by nitrogen, leaving liquid oxygen.

Sodium carbonate: Sodium carbonate, Na2CO3 .10H2O, is an inorganic chemical with the formula Na2CO3 and its numerous hydrates (also known as washing soda, soda ash, and soda crystals). All of the salts are water-soluble, colorless, and odorless salts that generate moderately alkaline water solutions. Historically, it was made from the ashes of plants that grew in sodium-rich soils.

Oxygen: Oxygen is a chemical element with the symbol O and the atomic number 8. It is a highly reactive nonmetal and an oxidizing agent that rapidly produces oxides with most elements and other compounds. It belongs to the chalcogen group in the periodic table. After hydrogen and helium, oxygen is the most abundant element on Earth and the third most abundant element in the universe.

Conclusion

A decomposition reaction occurs when a complex substance is broken down into two or more simpler components. A decomposition reaction takes the following general form:

AB                  A + B    

A source of energy, such as heat, light, or electricity, is required for most breakdown reactions.

On decomposition of sodium carbonate in the air it will gives sodium oxide and carbon dioxide.

Na2CO3                   Na2O + CO2