Arm & Hammer Soda info

[craigclu]

I had been curious about changes in A & H soda products and whether they had added any components over time. I had read in a forum somewhere recently that the washing soda seemed to behave differently than in the past and when I inquired, I was sent this respone from A & H and I thought I'd share in case anyone had been thinking about this, too....

Dear Mr. Schroeder:

Thank you for visiting our ARM & HAMMER® web site! We appreciate your
interest in our company and our products.

ARM & HAMMER® Super Washing Soda is 100% sodium carbonate and is used as a
laundry booster and general household cleaner. ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda
is 100% sodium bicarbonate and has a myriad of household cleaning,
personal care, and deodorizing uses, as well as being a leavening agent.

It is important to note that these two are two distinctly different
products and cannot be substituted for one another.

We can provide your physician with an MSDS. Please have your physician
contact us directly and provide: the doctor's name, the name of the
practice, the mailing address and the product the request pertains to on
business letterhead.

 

[Kirk Keyes]

What changes did you notice?

AS an aside note: There was a couple thread on photo.net last summer about using non-photographic grade chemicals for mixing photographic solutions. There is some information there on items like pH Plus and washing soda as a source of sodium carbonate and some of the issues that may arise from that practice as there are different requirements for industrial grade chemicals like these than there are for photographic grade chemicals. The threads are a bit long, but you may find them of interest.

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008Yy1
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008n6Y
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008dQB

I suspect there is probably no need to rehash that subject here since about all that could be said on that subjust was said in those threads!

Kirk - www.keyesphoto.com

 

[Kirk Keyes]

We can provide your physician with an MSDS. Please have your physician
contact us directly and provide: the doctor's name, the name of the
practice, the mailing address and the product the request pertains to on
business letterhead.[/I]

That's pretty funny - they have to provide you with one if you ask - no need to involve a physician!

 

[gainer]

It is also strange that they refer to that product as washing soda, since that is the recognized common name for the decahydrate, according to the CRC Handbook.

 

[Brook]

I called the 1-800 on the side of the box, and spoke to a chemist who told me it was monohydrate.

 

[gainer]

One way to find out: weigh out some Super Washing Soda and heat it copiously. Weigh the residue. The difference will be water lost. If it's monohydrated, the residue from 100 grams should be about 85 grams. If it's traditional washing soda, 100 grams should reduce to about 37. I would do this, but I haven't seen any in my local supermarket yet.

 

[Brook]

I think I will try it. I once weighed out 100g and left it out for a few days in Janurary in Minnesota, drier that the Sahara. Still weighed 100g, never thought to heat it up.
Brook