sodium bicarbonate

noun, Chemistry, Pharmacology

a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, in powder or granules, NaHCO ₃ , usually prepared by the reaction of soda ash with carbon dioxide or obtained from the intermediate product of the Solvay process by purification: used chiefly in the manufacture of sodium salts, baking powder, and beverages, as a laboratory reagent, as a fire extinguisher, and in medicine as an antacid.

Also called bicarbonate of soda, baking soda, sodium acid carbonate.

Origin

1880-85

Examples from the web for sodium bicarbonate

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, serves as both a cleaner and a deodorizer.
Baking soda, also called bicarbonate of soda or sodium bicarbonate, lifts stains from fabric.
Baking soda is almost universally sodium bicarbonate, a tasteless, nontoxic chemical compound.
There were instructions for using sodium bicarbonate to scrub lethal toxins off the skin.
But the researchers found that solutions of the sodium bicarbonate worsened heart and liver functions in patients.
sodium bicarbonate is a leavening agent used in the bakery industry to enhance product physical properties, such as expansion.

British Dictionary definitions for sodium bicarbonate

sodium bicarbonate

noun

a white crystalline soluble compound usually obtained by the Solvay process and used in effervescent drinks, baking powders, fire extinguishers, and in medicine as an antacid; sodium hydrogen carbonate. Formula: NaHCO3 Also called bicarbonate of soda, baking soda

sodium bicarbonate in Medicine

sodium bicarbonate n.
See baking soda.

sodium bicarbonate in Science

sodium bicarbonate
A white crystalline compound used in beverages and as a leavening agent to make baked goods. In medicine, sodium bicarbonate is used as an antacid and cleanser and to replenish electrolytes. Also called baking soda, bicarbonate of soda. Chemical formula: NaHCO₃.

Our Living Language : A white, chalky powder, sodium bicarbonate also goes by its household name, baking soda. Sodium bicarbonate is a base and reacts with acids in what is called neutralization, because both the acid and the base are converted into more neutral substances on the pH scale. Neutralization with sodium bicarbonate usually produces carbon dioxide gas, which bubbles forth whenever vinegar (an acid) and baking soda are mixed (as they frequently are in "kitchen science" experiments). Such reactions are an important factor in baking, where the production of the gas is what causes cakes to rise. Sodium bicarbonate has long been used in small amounts (about a half teaspoon) mixed with water to neutralize excess stomach acid. Sodium bicarbonate also has the unique ability to neutralize substances that are more basic than it is. It can do this because in water, sodium bicarbonate breaks down ultimately into carbonic acid (H₂CO₃), an unstable acid, which can then react with a base to neutralize it. This ability to neutralize both acids and many bases is why baking soda is so effective at reducing odors.