SharkWhisperer Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) In any case, sodium carbonate is caustic. The solid can irritate, attack, blister, and burn skin. Concentrated solutions can do the same. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. Pure sodium carbonate. Proudly sold since 1874. Warnings are "eye irritant". "Harmful if swallowed". No skin issues, regardless of what an over-reaching liability-limiting MSDS or Wikipedia article might suggest. No warnings to wear gloves when you're doing your laundry. Pure sodium carbonate. Not a single mention of potential skin irritation. Only the benign "If on skin, wash thoroughly with water". Nobody's taking a bath in concentrated sodium carbonate solution, so caustic warnings for chem handling for both cleaning purposes and pyro purposes is pretty much without any practical utility. Sure it can cause irritation and possible "burns" with extended exposure. But calling it "caustic" is a stretch. It's baby sister sodium bicarbonate/baking soda also has skin irritation/cracking (but no "possible burns") on the MSDS. Nobody's going to suffer carbonate burns when working with it without gloves on. This is not akin to NaOH/KOH or H2SO4 drain cleaners that'll blind and cook you. This is effectively harmless washing soda/sodium carbonate, so long as you don't eat it or bathe in it (solutions indeed are strongly basic). Incidentally, the LD50 in rats is 3g/kg for table salt, i.e., sodium chloride. For sodium carbonate? 4g/kg (sodium bicarbonate/baking soda=4.2 g/kg). The most recent American Association of Poison Control Centers compendium of cases was from 2019 and cites one death each from table salt ingestion and from baking soda ingestion. None from washing soda. In medicine (DrugBank) sodium carbonate has clinical utility as a topical treatment for "dermatitides, mouthwash, vaginal douche." Carbicarb is an IV solution of sodium carbonate and bicarbonate combo that was used in hospitals and dialysis clinics for rapidly adjusting blood pH to reverse metabolic or lactic acid acidosis. Intravenously. Powdered sodium carbonate, unless bathed in, probably doesn't cause too many trips to the ER or dermatologist, if any... But it'll help keep your household spiffy. Edited March 4, 2021 by SharkWhisperer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richtee Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. Pure sodium carbonate. Proudly sold since 1874. Warnings are "eye irritant". "Harmful if swallowed". Got anything on Tide Pods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRAITH Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 Washing soda is Sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na²CO³·10H²O) Natural soda ash is also a cost-effective substitute for caustic soda or sodium hydroxide, which is named after its chemical identity as a sodium hydrate and because it is caustic or corrosive. In pure form, it readily absorbs water and forms aqueous solutions. Sodium Carbonate is alkaline with a pH level of 11.It turns red litmus to blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRAITH Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 You lot really have to get back into chemistry, reading & paying attention. As you see the label on arm & hammer ??What are the ingredients ?Sodium chloride & water. Yes water is used 10 fold for crystallization, if not this shit will burn you.I don't post anything that's not a fact or i haven't tried, please don't insult me with little knowledge i have & i don't see anything on charcoal in which shark whisperer tried degrading me on my reply either, only what he found on the net instead of "researching" ? It's good being a chemist while i have backyarders telling me otherwise. I like to have fun, help people & joke around, but your attacks seem childish, degrading & petty. Go get a root, pass the entry exam for a place in MENSA, then have a chat. If i'm wrong i'll say it, & shark whisperer who cares about how many likes or gold stars you have, it's about sharing the "correct" information when dealing with explosive substances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRAITH Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 I meant Sodium Carbonate & water NOT Sodium chloride (NaCl) salt & water as the ingredients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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