Pufferpunk
New member
I've been making my own DIY alk for years, by cooking baking soda in the oven. Could someone tell me why I have to bake it, when I just add it to RO water anyway?
DIY Alk
- Thread starter Pufferpunk
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Tbonekilla
Member
To release carbon dioxide?
Funlad3
Well-known member
Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
CaCl2 + 2 NaHCO3 --> 2 NaCl + Ca(HCO3)2
Ca(HCO3)2 --> CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O
Sodium Carbonate (Baked Baking Soda)
Na2CO3+CaCl2=CaCO3+2NaCl
When you add the Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to your tank, it reacts with the Calcium and Chlorine ions in solution (Calcium Chloride in aqueous form) to produce Sodium Chloride and Calcium Bicarbonate. Calcium Bicarbonate isn't the most stable compound, and naturally decomposes (it breaks apart, it does not rot.
) into Calcium Carbonate (which corals use), as well as Carbon Dioxide and Water. Obviously, Carbon Dioxide in a reef tank is not a good thing, it lowers the pH! So let's compare using Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) to using Sodium Carbonate (Baked Baking Soda).
With Baked Baking Soda, you can see there's only one chemical step to creating Calcium Carbonate. The Sodium Carbonate (Baked Baking Soda) reacts with the Calcium Chloride, the same amount of Calcium Chloride as with Sodium Bi Carbonate. Unlike the Sodium Bicarbonate reaction however, the extra Carbon Trioxide and Hydrogen ions are missing; the carbon dioxide and water molecules can't form as in the first reaction! Another plus is that you only need to use half as much Sodium Carbonate to make a given amount of Calcium Carbonate as you would with Sodium Bicarbonate! Baked Baking Soda is clearly better to use, both cost wise as well as not dropping your pH.
Go High School Chemistry, and THANKS Mr. Cassidy!
CaCl2 + 2 NaHCO3 --> 2 NaCl + Ca(HCO3)2
Ca(HCO3)2 --> CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O
Sodium Carbonate (Baked Baking Soda)
Na2CO3+CaCl2=CaCO3+2NaCl
When you add the Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to your tank, it reacts with the Calcium and Chlorine ions in solution (Calcium Chloride in aqueous form) to produce Sodium Chloride and Calcium Bicarbonate. Calcium Bicarbonate isn't the most stable compound, and naturally decomposes (it breaks apart, it does not rot.
) into Calcium Carbonate (which corals use), as well as Carbon Dioxide and Water. Obviously, Carbon Dioxide in a reef tank is not a good thing, it lowers the pH! So let's compare using Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) to using Sodium Carbonate (Baked Baking Soda).With Baked Baking Soda, you can see there's only one chemical step to creating Calcium Carbonate. The Sodium Carbonate (Baked Baking Soda) reacts with the Calcium Chloride, the same amount of Calcium Chloride as with Sodium Bi Carbonate. Unlike the Sodium Bicarbonate reaction however, the extra Carbon Trioxide and Hydrogen ions are missing; the carbon dioxide and water molecules can't form as in the first reaction! Another plus is that you only need to use half as much Sodium Carbonate to make a given amount of Calcium Carbonate as you would with Sodium Bicarbonate! Baked Baking Soda is clearly better to use, both cost wise as well as not dropping your pH.
Go High School Chemistry, and THANKS Mr. Cassidy!
Pufferpunk
New member
Thanks! It's soooooo much cheaper than buying the stuff!
Thanks. 
dtrm
New member
Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
CaCl2 + 2 NaHCO3 --> 2 NaCl + Ca(HCO3)2
Ca(HCO3)2 --> CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O
Sodium Carbonate (Baked Baking Soda)
Na2CO3+CaCl2=CaCO3+2NaCl
When you add the Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to your tank, it reacts with the Calcium and Chlorine ions in solution (Calcium Chloride in aqueous form) to produce Sodium Chloride and Calcium Bicarbonate. Calcium Bicarbonate isn't the most stable compound, and naturally decomposes (it breaks apart, it does not rot.
With Baked Baking Soda, you can see there's only one chemical step to creating Calcium Carbonate. The Sodium Carbonate (Baked Baking Soda) reacts with the Calcium Chloride, the same amount of Calcium Chloride as with Sodium Bi Carbonate. Unlike the Sodium Bicarbonate reaction however, the extra Carbon Trioxide and Hydrogen ions are missing; the carbon dioxide and water molecules can't form as in the first reaction! Another plus is that you only need to use half as much Sodium Carbonate to make a given amount of Calcium Carbonate as you would with Sodium Bicarbonate! Baked Baking Soda is clearly better to use, both cost wise as well as not dropping your pH.
Go High School Chemistry, and THANKS Mr. Cassidy!
Well done