What is caustic soda?

On Mendeleev's table, caustic soda is listed as NaOH. It is a very well-known chemical compound from the hydroxide family, which is used in virtually every industry. It is worth mentioning that caustic soda is a chemical compound that can be purchased in many places. It is available in shops with specialized chemicals, in shops with semi-finished products for cosmetics, it can also be bought in supermarkets or via the Internet. In other words - caustic soda is widely available and anyone can buy it, when it comes to small quantities, in the case of large orders it is necessary to run a business.

What is caustic soda?

Caustic soda is often called sodium hydroxide. It is a chemical compound with a strong alkaline effect, whose PH is 14. What distinguishes caustic soda is its highly corrosive properties that can irritate the skin, mucous membranes and eyes. It is worth mentioning, however, that caustic soda is used in almost all industries - from clearing kitchen pipes to disinfecting rooms.

Caustic soda is a white, crystalline substance that, when dissolved in water, does not emit any odor and has no taste. However, when it comes into contact with water, it turns into a highly corrosive lye, which is dangerous to health. People who drank such a mixture experienced burns in the throat and the rest of the digestive system. There have even been cases where the walls of the digestive tract perforated, leading to death.

What is the use of caustic soda?

Caustic soda has many different uses. Many industries use sodium hydroxide for their purposes. What could these goals be? Caustic soda is used to clean terraces and driveways primarily because it copes well with even difficult dirt. It is enough to dissolve 125 grams of caustic soda in 5 liters of water, and you can remove even such impurities that do not come off even with the use of water under high pressure.

But that's not all. The most popular use of caustic soda is to clear pipes. In supermarkets you can buy special specifics that you just need to pour into siphons and leave there for a few hours, then rinse with plenty of cold water.

Caustic soda can also be helpful in disinfection. Caustic soda is worth using even when you want to decontaminate the bathroom after one of the household members was sick. You can easily clean bathroom ceramics with it - however, it should not be used to clean objects made of zinc, aluminum or cast iron. In addition, caustic soda removes varnishes and paints from wooden objects (excluding oak wood, which darkens under the influence of caustic soda) and metal.

Self-produced soap

What is very interesting for many people is the fact that you can make soap at home using caustic soda . This is not an easy task, because it requires the use of a special scale that measures the amount of sodium hydroxide, but many people treat soap production as a hobby they do in their free time.

There are a few rules to keep in mind when making soap. First of all, the caustic soda is poured into the water, not the other way around. In the same way, the resulting lye is poured into the fat. Otherwise, the substance may explode and spill, which is very dangerous. In the event of contact of sodium hydroxide or the resulting lye with the skin, wash the burnt area with vinegar as soon as possible.

Is the use of caustic soda dangerous?

The use of caustic soda is very dangerous because it is a really corrosive substance, which in some cases can even lead to death. In contact with the skin, it can cause severe burns and even tissue necrosis. When drunk (which happens especially by children who do not know it), it causes burns of the digestive tract and even perforation of its walls. In many cases, drinking lye (caustic soda mixed with water) leads to death.

Therefore, when using caustic soda, it is recommended to pay special attention and follow the safety rules. When pouring granules or powder into a clogged siphon, wear rubber gloves and preferably cover your mouth and nose. Do not pour soda into the water, but after several minutes, pour it with cold water. In the event of an accident, if soda gets on your hands, you need to pour a lot of vinegar on the place.

Where can you buy good quality caustic soda?

The best quality caustic soda can be purchased at specialty chemistry stores . This is the place where you can buy sodium hydroxide, which is great for making soaps, and mixtures for cleaning or unclogging pipes. Fortunately, nowadays such stores are available not only stationary, but also online.