Baking Soda
<h2 class="header Heading3" >Baking Soda</h2>
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<p >Baking soda has a pH of 8 (7 is neutral) and is best known for its use as a <a href="http://www.ehow.com/facts_5594283_difference-baking-soda-washing-soda.html#" id="itxthook1" rel="nofollow" class="itxtrst itxtrsta itxthook" >leavening agent</a> in cooking. It also can be used as a mild scouring agent, an antacid and an emergency kitchen fire extinguisher.</p>
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Read more: <a href="http://www.ehow.com/facts_5594283_difference-baking-soda-washing-soda.html#ixzz20okuVOUh" >Difference Between Baking Soda & Washing Soda | eHow.com</a> <a href="http://www.ehow.com/facts_5594283_difference-baking-soda-washing-soda.html#ixzz20okuVOUh" >http://www.ehow.com/facts_5594283_difference-baking-soda-washing-soda.html#ixzz20okuVOUh</a>
<b>Sodium bicarbonate</b> or <b>sodium hydrogen carbonate</b> is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_compound" title="Chemical compound" >chemical compound</a> with the formula <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium" title="Sodium" >Na</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicarbonate" title="Bicarbonate" >HCO<sub >3</sub></a>. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal" title="Crystal" >crystalline</a> but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly salty,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline" title="Alkaline" class="mw-redirect" >alkaline</a> taste resembling that of washing soda (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_carbonate" title="Sodium carbonate" >sodium carbonate</a>). The natural mineral form is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahcolite" title="Nahcolite" >nahcolite</a>. It is a component of the mineral <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natron" title="Natron" >natron</a> and is found dissolved in many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_spring" title="Mineral spring" >mineral springs</a>.
Since it has long been known and is widely used, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_(chemistry)" title="Salt (chemistry)" >salt</a> has many related names such as <b>baking soda</b>, <b>bread soda</b>, <b>cooking soda</b>, and <b>bicarbonate of soda</b>. In colloquial usage, its name is shortened to <b>sodium bicarb</b>,<b>bicarb soda</b>, or simply <b>bicarb</b>. The word <i>saleratus</i>, from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language" title="Latin language" class="mw-redirect" >Latin</a> <i>sal æratus</i> meaning <i>aerated salt</i>, was widely used in the 19th century for both sodium bicarbonate and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bicarbonate" title="Potassium bicarbonate" >potassium bicarbonate</a>. The term has now fallen out of common usage.</p>