SHEET /vs/sodium-hydroxide-vs-sodium-bicarbonate · COMPARISON
Sodium hydroxide vs Sodium bicarbonate: what is the difference?
How they differ
Both are alkaline and they sit at opposite ends of that scale. Sodium bicarbonate is weak enough to eat and is used to neutralise acid in a stomach or a recipe. Sodium hydroxide is caustic soda, strong enough to saponify fat and dissolve hair, which is what makes it the active ingredient in drain cleaner and in soap making. The GHS classifications say it plainly: sodium hydroxide carries the corrosive pictogram and bicarbonate does not. Weights are close at 40.0 and 84.01, which is a reminder that molecular size says nothing about hazard. Sodium hydroxide releases significant heat when it dissolves, and bicarbonate does not.
Side by side
| Sodium hydroxide | Sodium bicarbonate | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | HNaO | CHNaO3 |
| Molecular weight | 40 g/mol | 84.01 g/mol |
| Family | Inorganic compounds | Other |
| Everyday group | Everyday chemistry | Food & flavor |
| GHS signal wordThe supplier-filed hazard label, not a statement about ordinary use. | Danger | not recorded |
| LD50A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | 40 mg/kg (other, mouse) | 4,220 mg/kg (oral, rat) |
| CAS number | 1310-73-2 | 144-55-8 |
| PubChem CID | 14798 | 516892 |
Common questions
- What is the difference between Sodium hydroxide and Sodium bicarbonate?
- Both are alkaline and they sit at opposite ends of that scale. Sodium bicarbonate is weak enough to eat and is used to neutralise acid in a stomach or a recipe. Sodium hydroxide is caustic soda, strong enough to saponify fat and dissolve hair, which is what makes it the active ingredient in drain cleaner and in soap making.
- Is Sodium hydroxide bigger than Sodium bicarbonate?
- Sodium bicarbonate is the heavier molecule, 84.01 g/mol against 40 g/mol for Sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is HNaO and Sodium bicarbonate is CHNaO3.
Read the full records: Sodium hydroxide and Sodium bicarbonate.