Question

The final product in Solvay process is:
A) $N{{a}_{ 2}}C{{O}_{3}}$
B) $N{{a}_{ 2}}C{{O}_{3}}.10{{H}_{2}}O$
C) $N{{a}_{ 2}}C{{O}_{3}}.{{H}_{2}}O$
D) $N{{a}_{ 2}}C{{O}_{3}}.8{{H}_{2}}O$

Answer 1

The answer here includes the process which yields the soda ash in which sodium carbonate is predominant from brine and from limestone. The reaction gives the correct answer.

Complete step by step answer:
In our lower classes of chemistry, we have studied about the Solvay process or which is also called an ammonia-soda process and also about how it is carried out.
Let us see the process in brief which will help us to approach the correct answer.
- Solvay process or ammonia – soda process is the major industrial process that is employed for the production of sodium carbonate or also known as soda ash.
- The Solvay process involves the reaction of carbon dioxide with the dissolved ammonia to form ammonium carbonate which is then followed by ammonium hydrogen carbonate.
- This ammonium hydrogen carbonate is added to sodium chloride that produces sodium bicarbonate. The sodium bicarbonate yields sodium carbonate on heating.
- The sodium bicarbonate produced is less soluble and thus can be converted easily into sodium carbonate by a heating process which releases carbon dioxide and this gas is further reused in the process.
The overall reaction between the limestone and sodium chloride to produce soda ash is as follows,
$CaC{{O}_{3}}+2NaCl\to N{{a}_{2}}C{{O}_{3}}+CaC{{l}_{2}}$

The sodium carbonate produced is decahydrate here and thus the correct answer will be option B) $N{{a}_{ 2}}C{{O}_{3}}.10{{H}_{2}}O$.

Note: This Solvay process cannot be employed for the production of potassium carbonate because potassium bicarbonate has high solubility and therefore becomes difficult to be precipitated by addition of ammonium bicarbonate.