"Cori" > wrote in message
...
>I took half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in half a glass of
> tap water for indigestion. I was surprised at just how salty it
> tasted.
>
> Unfortunately, my knowledge of chemistry is not good. Can I ask a
> few questions about this? Thank you for any information.
>
> I can state that my tap water is slightly alkaline.
>
> ------
>
> QUESTION ONE. Does sodium bicarbonate decompose in some way
> during storage for a few years that would make my solution taste
> more salty than usual?
>
> Google says that sodium bicarbonate breaks down at 60C but my
> kitchen cupboard never got that hot! Maybe there is a slow
> reaction between sodium bicarbonate and the gases in the
> atmosphere?
>
> ------
>
> I saw there were some *particles* at the bottom of the glass which
> did not dissolve. I Googled and saw that sodium bicarbonate is
> said to be completely soluble in water.
>
> QUESTION ONE. What compound would these particles be made of? I
> added three times the orginal amount of water and stirred but
> still the particles did not dissolve.

Sodium bicarbonate does taste salty. It has nothing to do with it breaking
down - it's simply that the receptors on your tongue that register "salty"
respond to bicarb as well as to actual salt, although less so. I can't help
with those particles though.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

Cori wrote:
> I took half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in half a glass of
> tap water for indigestion. I was surprised at just how salty it
> tasted.

SODIUM! bicarbonate.

sodium bicarbonate
Date: 1885
: a white crystalline weakly alkaline salt NaHCO3 used especially in
baking powders, fire extinguishers, and medicine - called also baking
soda, bicarbonate of soda
---

Sheldon

The receptors are registering sodium ions Na+. These ions taste salty
whether in sodium chloride, sodium flouride, sodium bromide, sodium
bicarbonate, or any sodium salt that is reasonably neutral.

Small positive ions in general taste salty. Other examples are ammonium
NH4+ and lithium Li+. Both have been used for salt substitutes.
Potassium K+ tastes salty, but also bitter at the same time, so it's
not as good a substitute. But also has been used to partially replace
sodium.

SBH

On 16 Apr 2005 17:40:10 -0700, "Sbharris[atsign]ix.netcom.com"
> wrote:
| Potassium K+ tastes salty, but also bitter at the same time, so it's
| not as good a substitute. But also has been used to partially replace
| sodium.

Commercially Lo-Salt 66% potassium chloride, 33% sodium chloride. I can
only slightly taste the bitterness after being told about it.

--
Dave F
Howard Flight was right

"Cori" > wrote in message
...
> I took half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in half a glass of
> tap water for indigestion. I was surprised at just how salty it
> tasted.
>
> Unfortunately, my knowledge of chemistry is not good. Can I ask a
> few questions about this? Thank you for any information.
>
> I can state that my tap water is slightly alkaline.
>
> ------
>
> QUESTION ONE. Does sodium bicarbonate decompose in some way
> during storage for a few years that would make my solution taste
> more salty than usual?
>

It is not decomposing in any unusual way, it is just the sodium ions in
solution that taste salty the same as if they came from common salt (sodium
chloride).

>
> I saw there were some *particles* at the bottom of the glass which
> did not dissolve. I Googled and saw that sodium bicarbonate is
> said to be completely soluble in water.
>
> QUESTION ONE. What compound would these particles be made of? I
> added three times the orginal amount of water and stirred but
> still the particles did not dissolve.
>

It could be impurities in the original sodium bicarbonate or, as your tap
water is alkaline, a comparitively insoluble salt thrown out of solution by
the bicarbonate.

I am guessing now (as I don't have time to look up the typical contents of
alkaline tap water nor the solubility of the possible salts with sodium
bicarbonate) but I would say calcium carbonate, whcih is quite harmless. It
doesn't really matter as you will not get anything more harmful than the
original water or the bicarb out of the combination of the two.

BTW taking bicarbonate for indigestion is not a good idea in the long term
as it is a bit too alkaline.

David

David

In article > ,
Peter Aitken > wrote:
>"Cori" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> I saw there were some *particles* at the bottom of the glass which
>> did not dissolve. I Googled and saw that sodium bicarbonate is
>> said to be completely soluble in water.
>>
>> QUESTION ONE. What compound would these particles be made of? I
>> added three times the orginal amount of water and stirred but
>> still the particles did not dissolve.
>
>Sodium bicarbonate does taste salty. It has nothing to do with it breaking
>down - it's simply that the receptors on your tongue that register "salty"
>respond to bicarb as well as to actual salt, although less so. I can't help
>with those particles though.

Very likely calcium carbonate, either as a trace impurity in the sodium
bicarbonate, or due to a reaction with the calcium bicarbonate in the
water. I am not enough of a chemist to guess at the possibilities,
but most white deposits in hard water are that.

Don't eat more than 100 grams of it at a sitting - it may give you
indigestion :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Following up to Cori

>I took half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in half a glass of
>tap water for indigestion. I was surprised at just how salty it
>tasted.

Well it is a salt, but don't know if all salts taste salty?
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 20:45:35 +0100, Cori > wrote:

>QUESTION ONE. Does sodium bicarbonate decompose in some way
>during storage for a few years that would make my solution taste
>more salty than usual?
>
>Google says that sodium bicarbonate breaks down at 60C but my
>kitchen cupboard never got that hot! Maybe there is a slow
>reaction between sodium bicarbonate and the gases in the
>atmosphere?

To add to what others have already written, sodium bicarbonate is
stable to conditions normally found in household pantries. It is
stable in air. Bicarb tastes both salty and bitter ... it is both a
salt and a mild alkali.

>I saw there were some *particles* at the bottom of the glass which
>did not dissolve. I Googled and saw that sodium bicarbonate is
>said to be completely soluble in water.
>
>QUESTION ONE. What compound would these particles be made of? I
>added three times the orginal amount of water and stirred but
>still the particles did not dissolve.

My guess is either an impurity in the bicarb or a reaction with a
component of your tap water. Add a little vinegar to the insoluble
granules and watch for fizzing. This will indicate whether the
granules are a carbonate.

Steve Turner