Sodium bicarbonate, or more commonly known as baking soda, has been a very useful chemical compound to have in the kitchen. Its appearance is a white, solid crystalline, but what we usually see in the kitchen comes as fine powder. Taste-wise, it is a little salty, with the alkaline taste somewhat like washing soda. It is mainly used as its common name suggests which is for baking; where it helps the batter expands as the compound reacts to the acidic components of the batter. However, people from all over the world have found many other uses of baking soda other than for baking purposes. Learn how multipurpose sodium bicarbonate can be as you read on.

Apart from being used as a leavening agent, baking soda can also be used as a substitution of baking powder, which is used to provide enough acid reagents. It can also be used to soften vegetables, and to enhance the crispness of fried food’s breading.

Baking soda are also very popular cleaning agents, especially when it comes to getting rid of tarnish from silver objects. It can also be used to remove odor from clothes and compartments caused by acids, and can be used to remove heavy tea and coffee stains. Apart from that, baking soda can also be used for personal hygiene. It can be used to exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin cells, and it is gentle on the skin. The use of baking soda for personal hygiene can be further extended to as an ingredient in mouthwashes, since it has antiseptic properties, while being able to neutralize the acid in the mouth.

As baking soda is amphoteric and can be easily found, many labs use it to neutralize acids and bases. When heated up, it releases carbon dioxide, so it can extinguish small fires. Other than that, it can also be used to raise the levels of pH in chlorinated water that has too high levels of chlorine. It can also be used to reduce the spread of white phosphorus in a wound caused by incendiary bullets. Unsurprisingly, it is also used in medical practices as a form of relief of indigestion and heartburn, among other conditions, and as a treatment for conditions like hyperkalemia, aspirin overdose, and so on.

All in all, the amazing properties of this chemical compound have made it one of the preferred choices for many purposes.

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