Does sodium bicarbonate function as an acid or a base?

[xLaser]

We conducted a lab on Friday and today we have to answer a few post lab questions.

I'm stuck on one question and it asks:

Does sodium bicarbonate (aka Baking Soda) (NaHCO3) function as an acid or a base? What sort of condition will determine this?

I know that sodium bicarbonate will function as a base in a typical neutralization reaction such as NaHCO3 + HCl → NaCl + H2O + CO2 .

However, when will it function as an acid? I cannot seem to find this bit of info anywhere on the net.

Also, another question, it says here write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with phosphoric acid. Does anyone know what it is?

I think it starts like this but I have no idea what the other products are, well, i know one is going to be a salt, and the other one probably is a gas.

NaHCO3(s) + H3PO4(aq) --> H2O +

Thx in advance,

m!ke

 

[Physik]

I remember performing a lab with baking soda, quite a few times, in Chemistry last year.

I don't exactly remember, but, I don't think Baking Soda can be used as an acid. It's a neutalizing agent. If I correctly remember, bases neutalize acids... so it would act as a base, when it is mixed with an acid.

Don't trust me though, Chemistry was never my strong point

 

[xLaser]

yeah me too, but the question's wording seems a bit like it can also act as an acid. Maybe its just me but I'm waiting to hear more comments.

 

[xLaser]

bump! anyone know anything about this?

 

[xLaser]

bump! its due tomorrow, someone please answer if they know!

 

[lucifer]

dont take what i say as the final word cos I'm still taking Chem. anyways:


Baking soda acts as a base most of the time except when it's hydrogen concentration is higher than substance it's reacting with (this is a total guess but it'd kinda make sense).

and for the reaction I'm pretty sure it'd give you water, carbon dioxide and sodium phosphate, Na3(Po4)2. just check though.

 

[HallsofIvy]

In the NaCo_{3, HCl reaction, you are pairing NaCo3, which is, technically, a salt, with a strong acid. What would happen if you combined it with a strong base?}

 

[xLaser]

ok i looked up some stuff and apparently, it is possible that baking soda can act as an acid in water, due to a freely avaliable H+ .

what do you guys think? and its not due tomorrow, its actually due tomorrow from the time i post this, got the due dates wrong =)

 

[xLaser]

o and i found out the balanced equation for reaction of baking soda with phosphoric acid if anyone is interested...

i'm almost 100% sure it is this one:

3NaHCO3 + H3PO4 ----> 3H2O + 3CO2 + Na3PO4

(*sorry about subscripts but i duno how to do them here)

Any corrections please feel free to comment, thanks you all =)

 

[xLaser]

lucifer btw, its Na3PO4, not 2 PO4 since PO4 is an polyatomic ion with charge of -3, but thanks for the hint =)

 

[lucifer]

lucifer btw, its Na3PO4, not 2 PO4 since PO4 is an polyatomic ion with charge of -3, but thanks for the hint =)

for some reason i kept thinking that the sodium ion had a charge of +1(and hence Na3(Po4)2). I'm so stupid lol.