What Is Caustic Soda?
Sodium Hydroxide, also known as lye and Caustic Soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations Na⁺ and hydroxide anions OH⁻.
Purpose Of Caustic Soda?
Sodium hydroxide is useful for its ability to alter fats. It is used to make soap and as a main ingredient in household products such as liquid drain cleaners. Sodium hydroxide is usually sold in pure form as white pellets or as a solution in water.
What Is Caustic Soda Used For?
It is used as a cleansing agent and in the manufacturing of washing soda. Sometimes, sodium hydroxide is also used as a reagent in the laboratories. It is used in the preparation of soda lime. It is used in the extraction of aluminium by purifying bauxite.
What Is Caustic Soda Made Of?
Caustic soda is the chemical compound sodium hydroxide (NaOH). This compound is an alkali – a type of base that can neutralize acids and is soluble in water.
How Do You Make Caustic Soda?
Caustic soda (usually as NaOH) is produced as a liquid. These are produced by passing an electrical current through brine (common salt dissolved in water). This is called electrolysis, a process which has been known for over 120 years.
Formation of NaOH:
The amalgam formed is then transferred to another chamber called denuder. In the denuder, it is treated with water to obtain a sodium hydroxide solution. On evaporation of the solution, solid sodium hydroxide is formed. This is a very efficient process in order to obtain pure caustic soda.
Physical Properties of Sodium Hydroxide
- Sodium Hydroxide in its pure form is a white crystalline solid.
- It is odourless.
- It is soluble in water, glycerol and ethanol. When solid sodium hydroxide is mixed with water it results in a highly exothermic reaction.
- Has a higher viscosity than water about 78 mPas.
- It can form several hydrates. Some of the know hydrates are Heptahydrate, Pentahydrate, Tetrahydrate, Tetrahydrate, Trihemihydrate, Trihydrate, Dihydrate and Monohydrate.
- NaOH and its monohydrate can form orthorhombic crystals with the space groups such as Cmcm (oS8) and Pbca (oP24)
- It can rapidly absorb carbon dioxide and water from the air.
- It can also exist in the form of a liquid.
Chemical Properties of Sodium Hydroxide
- It has an ionic bond between the Na(+1) ion and OH(-1) ion.
- It can react with protic acids to form water and salts.
- It has high acidity of 13.
- Sodium hydroxide is a popular base that is used for leaching amphoteric hydroxides or oxides.
- There is a covalent bond, between Oxygen and Hydrogen in the hydroxide.
Uses & Benefits
Sodium hydroxide is used to manufacture many everyday products, such as paper, aluminum, commercial drain and oven cleaners, and soap and detergents.
Sodium Hydroxide in Cleaning & Disinfectant Products
Sodium hydroxide is used to manufacture soaps and a variety of detergents used in homes and commercial applications. Chlorine bleach is produced by combining chlorine and sodium hydroxide. Drain cleaners that contain sodium hydroxide convert fats and grease that can clog pipes into soap, which dissolves in water.
Sodium Hydroxide in Pharmaceuticals & Medicine
Sodium hydroxide is used to help manufacture a variety of medicines and pharmaceutical products, from common pain relievers like aspirin, to anticoagulants that can help to prevent blood clots, to cholesterol-reducing medications.
Sodium Hydroxide in Energy
In the energy sector, sodium hydroxide is used in fuel cell production. Fuel cells work like batteries to cleanly and efficiently produce electricity for a range of applications, including transportation; materials handling; and stationary, portable and emergency backup power applications. Epoxy resins, manufactured with sodium hydroxide, are used in wind turbines.
Sodium Hydroxide in Water Treatment
Municipal water treatment facilities use sodium hydroxide to control water acidity and to help remove heavy metals from water. Sodium hydroxide is also used to produce sodium hypochlorite, a water disinfectant.
Sodium Hydroxide in Food Production
Sodium hydroxide is used in several food processing applications, such as curing foods like olives or helping to brown Bavarian-style pretzels, giving them their characteristic crunch. Sodium hydroxide is used to remove skins from tomatoes, potatoes and other fruits and vegetables for canning and also as an ingredient in food preservatives that help prevent mold and bacteria from growing in food.
Sodium Hydroxide in Wood & Paper Products
In many paper making processes, wood is treated with a solution containing sodium sulfide and sodium hydroxide. This helps dissolve most of the unwanted material in the wood, leaving relatively pure cellulose, which forms the basis of paper. In the paper recycling process, sodium hydroxide is used to separate the ink from the paper fibers allowing the paper fibers to be reused again.
Sodium hydroxide is also used to refine raw materials for wood products such as cabinets and furniture and in wood bleaching and cleaning.
Sodium Hydroxide in Aluminum Ore Processing
Sodium hydroxide is used to extract alumina from naturally occurring minerals. Alumina is used to make aluminum and a variety of products including foil, cans, kitchen utensils, beer kegs and airplane parts. In building and construction, aluminum is used in materials that enable building facades and window frames.
Sodium Hydroxide in Other Industrial Manufacturing Uses
Sodium hydroxide is used in many other industrial and manufacturing processes. It is used to manufacture rayon, spandex, explosives, epoxy resins, paints, glass and ceramics. It is also used in the textile industry to make dyes, process cotton fabric and in laundering and bleaching, as well as in metal cleaning and processing, oxide coating, electroplating and electrolytic extracting.
Prices Of Caustic Soda In Ghana:
A bag of Caustic Soda is 110 cedis that is anywhere between 1 bag and 39 bags.