Yo everyone! Welcome to our blog about the world of acid,bases and salts...
Here, we will explore the NTUC. Therefore, we had chosen sodium hydroxide, sodium chloride, mono-sodium glutamate, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid.

Done by : Junliang, Charmaine and Yiwei.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye and caustic soda, is a caustic metallic base. It is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, drinking water, soaps and detergents and as a drain cleaner. Worldwide production in 1998 was around 45 million tonnes. Sodium hydroxide is a common base in chemical laboratories. Pure sodium hydroxide is a white solid. It is very soluble in water with liberation of heat. It also dissolves in ethanol and methanol, though it exhibits lower solubility in these solvents than does potassium hydroxide. Molten sodium hydroxide is also a strong base, but the high temperature required limits applications. It is insoluble in ether and other non-polar solvents. A sodium hydroxide solution will leave a yellow stain on fabric and paper.

In supermarket, we can find these products:

Hair dye

Anti-ageing Body Wash

Sodium hydroxide is the principal strong base used in the chemical industry. In bulk it is most often handled as an aqueous solution, since solutions are cheaper and easier to handle. It is used to drive chemical reactions and also for the neutralization of acidic materials. It can be used also as a neutralizing agent in petroleum refining. It is also used for heavy duty and industrial cleaning.

Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). Since it has long been known and is widely used, the salt has many related names such as baking soda, bread soda, cooking soda, bicarbonate of soda. Colloquially, its name is shortened to sodium bicarb, bicarb soda, or simply bicarb. The word saleratus, from Latin sal æratus meaning "aerated salt", was widely used in the 19th century for both sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate. The term has now fallen out of common usage.

In supermarket, we can find these products:

Ferrero Rocher



Kinder Bueno

Sodium bicarbonate is primarily used in cooking (baking) where it reacts with other components to release carbon dioxide, that helps dough rise. The acidic compounds that induce this reaction include phosphates, cream of tartar, lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk, cocoa, vinegar, etc. Sodium bicarbonate can be substituted for baking powder provided sufficient acid reagent is also added to the recipe. Many forms of baking powder contain sodium bicarbonate combined with one or more acidic phosphates (especially good) or cream of tartar. It can also be used for softening peas (⅛ tsp. per pint of water and bring to boil for one hour)

Thermal decomposition causes sodium bicarbonate alone to act as a raising agent by releasing carbon dioxide at baking temperatures. The mixture for cakes using this method can be allowed to stand before baking without any premature release of carbon dioxide.

Source : Wikipedia and Yahoo

Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt, or halite, is an ionic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the sa

lt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multi-cellular organisms. As the major ingredient in edible salt, it is commonly used as a condiment and food preservative.

In supermarket, we can find these products:

Dove 2-in-1 shampoo

Lifebouy deofresh soap

Sodium chloride acts as a preservative to help food last longer. Sodium chloride is also used for cooking.

Source : Yahoo

Mono-sodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a sodium salt of the naturally occurring non-essential amino acid glutamic acid. It is used as a food additive and is commonly marketed as a flavour enhancer. It was once mainly made from wheat gluten, but is now mostly made from bacterial fermentation; it is acceptable for celiacs following a gluten-free diet. In its pure form, it appears as a white crystalline powder which rapidly dissociates into sodium cations and glutamate anions on contact with water (glutamate is the anionic form of glutamic acid).

Modern commercial MSG is produced by fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses. About 1.5 million tonnes were sold in 2001, with 4% annual growth expected. MSG is used commercially as a flavour enhancer. Although once associated with foods in Chinese restaurants, MSG is now used by most fast food chains and in many foodstuffs, particularly processed foods.

Examples include:
* Prepared stocks often known as stock cubes or bouillon cubes.
* Condiments such as barbecue sauce and salad dressings.
* Canned, frozen, or dried prepared food * Common snack foods such as flavoured jerky, flavoured potato chips (crisps) and flavoured tortilla chips.
* Seasoning mixtures

We can find these products from the supermarket:

Campbell's vegetable

Chicken cube

Mono-sodium glutamate, also know as MSG is used for cooking to make food has a better taste.

Citric acid is a weak organic acid, and it is a natural preservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks. It can also be used as an environmentally benign cleaning agent.It exists in greater than trace amounts in a variety of fruits and vegetables, mostly citrus fruits. Lemons and limes have particularly high concentrations of the acid.

In supermarket, we can find these products with citric acid :

Orange juice

Vegetable broth

Source : Yahoo