Sodium Hydroxide History
|
Looking to buy Sodium Hydroxide? 0800 8199 088 or click here to BUY SODIUM HYDROXIDE | |
Sodium Hydroxide history can be traced as far back as Ancient Egypt when it was used in early soap making. In Babylonian times it is believed that soap-like substances were in use for general bathing. Indeed, evidence has been found on a clay tablet dating back to around 2800BC that a soap-like material made from water, oil and Lye was used for bathing, Lye being another name for Sodium Hydroxide. The oil used at this time would probably have been cassia oil.
An interesting discovery about Sodium Hydroxide history concerns the Ebers Papyrus dating from around 1550 BC which indicates that animal or vegetable fats were mixed with Lye to produce a type of early soap. References in the Papyrus indicate that this substance was used for bathing but that it was also used for washing wool, probably before it was woven into cloth.
Over the years, when used in soap making, Sodium Hydroxide history tells us that Sodium Hydroxide is most often called Lye. Soap was manufactured in much the same way as outlined above until around the eighth century when Spanish and Italian soap making started. Documents referring to this time indicate that Lye was mixed with olive oil (of which there was plenty in Spain and Italy) or aromatic oils to give the earliest forms of perfurmed soaps.
Soap manufacture was the major use for Caustic for many years until it was used in 1658 to produce the commonly used laxative Sodium Sulphate, also known as Glauber's Salt.
Firstly the Leblanc process in 1790, then the Solvay process in 1861 resulted in massive improvements in the quality of Sodium Carbonate used at the time to produce the Sodium Hydroxide. These raw material improvements lead to improved Sodium Hydroxide quality from the caustification process.
Today, Sodium Hydroxide is produced by the Chloralkali process. Sodium Chloride or Brine solution undergoes electrolysis, resulting in Sodium Hydroxide and Hydrogen being liberated at the cathode. Clean Sodium Hydroxide can only be generated by preventing the reaction with the Chloride produced at the anode. This is achieved in one of the three processes below:-
- The Castner-Kellner Process whereby an amalgam is formed between the Sodium ions and the Mercury cathode. These Sodium ions react with water to generate Sodium Hydroxide.
- Diaphragm Cell Process whereby a steel cathode and a membrabce of asbestos fibres are used. The anode and cathode are separated by this asbestos diaphragm, which allows a flow of electrolyte (Brine) from the anode to the cathode.
- Membrane Cell Process whereby, in much the same way as in Diaphragm Cell Process, rather than using an asbestos membrane, in this case the membrane is made from a Teflon-based material. This is not only able to produce a higher quality product, but it has a lower energy useage per tonne of product to produce it.
http://www.sodium-hydroxide.co.uk/sodium-hydroxide-history | Saved Thursday, January 28th, 2010 - 4:02 AM