Analysis of Soda Ash and Volumetric 
Analysis of Soda Ash and Volumetric Analysis of a Carbonate-Bicarbonate Mixture
Belardo, Pia Jobelle J.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
University of Santo Tomas
España, Manila
February 27, 2013
Abstract
The analyte used is the soda ash which is titrated with an HCl titrant, standardized by Na2CO3. The indicators used are phenolphthalein for basicity and methyl orange for acidity. The two volumes of the titrant are then used to calculate percent composition of soda ash analyte. At the end of the experiment, the calculated average percent by mass of Na2CO3 is 4.92% and the average percent by mass of NaHCO3 is 5.07%.
Introduction
Soda ash is the common name for sodium carbonate, a chemical compound frequently used in manufacturing, industry, and even around the house. Glass production is one of the primary uses for sodium carbonate. Detergents and cleaning agents may also make use of it, and it can be used in cooking or as a food additive, as well.
Sodium carbonate is known by the chemical formula Na2CO3, in reference to the elements that make up its base composition: Na, which is sodium; C, which is carbon; and O, which is oxygen. The Na2CO3 combination does not usually occur in isolation in nature, however, so it must be intentionally refined by scientists. (see figure below)
This experiment focuses in the analysis of soda ash, a widespread industrially used substance in petroleum refining, glass making, detergent manufacture, water treatment etc. It can be a pure compound of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydroxide or the mixture of the three with compatible percent compositions. These compositions are determined by acid-base titrations, a volumetric process in determining the concentration of a substance in a certain solution which uses a base or acid as the titrant.
Experimental Section A. Preparation and Standardization of 0.10 M HCl Solution In preparing the HCl solution, 500 mL of distilled
Belardo, Pia Jobelle J.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
University of Santo Tomas
España, Manila
February 27, 2013
Abstract
The analyte used is the soda ash which is titrated with an HCl titrant, standardized by Na2CO3. The indicators used are phenolphthalein for basicity and methyl orange for acidity. The two volumes of the titrant are then used to calculate percent composition of soda ash analyte. At the end of the experiment, the calculated average percent by mass of Na2CO3 is 4.92% and the average percent by mass of NaHCO3 is 5.07%.
Introduction
Soda ash is the common name for sodium carbonate, a chemical compound frequently used in manufacturing, industry, and even around the house. Glass production is one of the primary uses for sodium carbonate. Detergents and cleaning agents may also make use of it, and it can be used in cooking or as a food additive, as well.
Sodium carbonate is known by the chemical formula Na2CO3, in reference to the elements that make up its base composition: Na, which is sodium; C, which is carbon; and O, which is oxygen. The Na2CO3 combination does not usually occur in isolation in nature, however, so it must be intentionally refined by scientists. (see figure below)
This experiment focuses in the analysis of soda ash, a widespread industrially used substance in petroleum refining, glass making, detergent manufacture, water treatment etc. It can be a pure compound of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydroxide or the mixture of the three with compatible percent compositions. These compositions are determined by acid-base titrations, a volumetric process in determining the concentration of a substance in a certain solution which uses a base or acid as the titrant.
Experimental Section A. Preparation and Standardization of 0.10 M HCl Solution In preparing the HCl solution, 500 mL of distilled
References: 1) WiseGEEK. (2003-2013). What is Soda Ash? Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-soda-ash.htm