Quality Control for the Athenium Baking Soda Company

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Quality Control for the Athenium Baking Soda Company April 16, 2012 Introduction: In a sample of baking soda, determine the percent by mass of NaHCO3. Also, determine if any chemical impurities are present, the chemical nature of the impurities, and the quantity of each present. Baking soda, also known as sodium hydrogen carbonate or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), is a naturally occurring compound with a wide range of uses. The diverse uses of baking soda include its presence in cleaning products, human food and beverages, animal food, and food processing, pharmaceuticals, chemical and industrial processes, water treatment, fire extinguishers, and more (chemicalland21). Because baking soda is a natural compound, using it in these products can replace potentially environmentally harmful products. Out of several methods to produce baking soda, the Athenium Baking Soda Company has chosen the method of reacting brine with ammonium hydrogen carbonate to form baking soda: NH4HCO3(s) + NaCl(aq) => NaHCO3(aq) + NH4Cl(aq) Brine is defined as water containing a higher concentration of sodium chloride than typical seawater, along with the possible impurities potassium chloride (KCl), lithium chloride (LiCl), and calcium chloride (CaCl2) (brinechem). After NaHCO3 is dried and filtered, it may contain contaminants (KCl, LiCl, CaCl2) in the residue. To ensure the standards of the products are kept high, many baking soda manufacturing companies employ technicians and scientists to analyze and approve the products. This analysis is commonly referred to as quality control and includes periodic inspections designed to ensure the company’s products are meeting the set standards such as being uncontaminated, not losing quality during the manufacturing process, and not containing chemical structure or composition imperfections. By enforcing quality control, the

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