Question

State the chemical property on which the following use of baking soda is based:

As a constituent in making baking powder.

Answer 1

Chemical Property: Thermal decomposition and evolution of CO₂ gas.

Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda (NaHCO₃) and a mild edible acid (like tartaric acid). When heated or mixed with water, baking soda undergoes thermal decomposition and reacts with the acid to release carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas.

This gas creates bubbles in the dough, causing it to rise and making the bread or cake soft and fluffy.

\[\ce{2NaHCO3 ->[heat] Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2\uparrow}\]