Ingredients --

Sodium carbonate

Chemical Formula: Na₂CO₃

Synonyms

Soda
Soda ash
Washing soda

Description

White hygroscopic powder or crystals.

Uses

Sodium carbonate is used in detergent formulas as a water softener, to lock up calcium and magnesium from the water. Calcium and magnesium would otherwise combine with the soap or detergents and form an insoluble scum that would stick to the clothes and the washing machine.

Compounds with similar functions are pentasodium pentetate, sodium edta, sodium citrate, phosphoric acid, Tetrasodium etidronate, and Tetrasodium pyrophosphate.

sodium carbonate: InChI=1/CH2O3.Na/c2-1(3)4;/h(H2,2,3,4);/q;+1/p-2/fCO3.Na/q-2;m

edta: InChI=1/C10H16N2O8/c13-7(14)3-11(4-8(15)16)1-2-12(5-9(17)18)6-10(19)20/h1-6H2,(H,13,14)(H,15,16)(H,17,18)(H,19,20)/f/h13,15,17,19H

sodium citrate: InChI=1/C6H8O7.2Na/c7-3(8)1-6(13,5(11)12)2-4(9)10;;/h13H,1-2H2,(H,7,8)(H,9,10)(H,11,12);;/q;2*+1/p-2/fC6H6O7.2Na/h11H;;/q-2;2m

tetrasodium edta: InChI=1/C10H16N2O8.4Na/c13-7(14)3-11(4-8(15)16)1-2-12(5-9(17)18)6-10(19)20;;;;/h1-6H2,(H,13,14)(H,15,16)(H,17,18)(H,19,20);;;;/q;4*+1/p-4/fC10H12N2O8.4Na/q-4;4m

phosphoric acid: InChI=1/H3O4P/c1-5(2,3)4/h(H3,1,2,3,4)/f/h1-3H

pentasodium pentetate: InChI=1/C14H23N3O10.5Na/c18-10(19)5-15(1-3-16(6-11(20)21)7-12(22)23)2-4-17(8-13(24)25)9-14(26)27;;;;;/h1-9H2,(H,18,19)(H,20,21)(H,22,23)(H,24,25)(H,26,27);;;;;/q;5*+1/p-5/fC14H18N3O10.5Na/q-5;5m

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By Simon Quellen Field