Conversion of Sodium Bicarbonate into Sodium Carbonate

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Conversion of Sodium Bicarbonate into Sodium Carbonate

Sodium carbonate on left and bicarbonate on right, both in oversaturated solutions. Pour sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) onto a non-aluminum pan or oven-safe dish. Place in the oven at 400ºF for one hour to release CO2. The resulting material should be of a slightly less powdery consistency, closer to sugar than flour. one simple test to ensure that sodium carbonate has been rendered is to submerge in water so that the solution is overstaurated and the material settles to the bottom; sodium bicarbonate will remain powdery, but sodium carbonate will rock up. NOTE This can also be done on a stove top/oven ring in a pot and take around 5-10 minutes to completely dehydrate (it becomes a fine light white powder and the CO2 stops bubbling through the powder).