Sodium carbonate, Na2CO3, (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals, and in the monohydrate form as crystal carbonate) is the water-soluble sodium salt of carbonic acid.
Sodium Carbonate is most commonly occurs as a crystalline decahydrate, which readily effloresce to form a white powder, the sodium carbonate monohydrate. Pure sodium carbonate is a white, odourless powder that is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air). It has a strongly alkaline taste, and forms a moderately basic solution in water.
Sodium carbonate is well known domestically for its everyday use as a water softener. Historically it was extracted from the ashes of plants growing in sodium-rich soils, such as vegetation from the Middle East, kelp from Scotland and seaweed from Spain. Because the ashes of these sodium-rich plants were noticeably different from ashes of timber (used to create potash), they became known as "soda ash".It is synthetically produced in large quantities from salt (sodium chloride) and limestone by a method known as the Solvay process.

Sodium carbonate, Na2CO3, (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals, and in the monohydrate form as crystal carbonate) is the water-soluble sodium salt of carbonic acid.
Sodium Carbonate is most commonly occurs as a crystalline decahydrate, which readily effloresce to form a white powder, the sodium carbonate monohydrate. Pure sodium carbonate is a white, odourless powder that is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air). It has a strongly alkaline taste, and forms a moderately basic solution in water.
Sodium carbonate is well known domestically for its everyday use as a water softener. Historically it was extracted from the ashes of plants growing in sodium-rich soils, such as vegetation from the Middle East, kelp from Scotland and seaweed from Spain. Because the ashes of these sodium-rich plants were noticeably different from ashes of timber (used to create potash), they became known as "soda ash".It is synthetically produced in large quantities from salt (sodium chloride) and limestone by a method known as the Solvay process.