Summary Impact of Baking Soda vs Baking Powder on Cookies from a Chemistry Standpoint
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Course
Chemistry of foods
Institution
Sophomore / 10th Grade
This document presents some brief and creative research on the chemistry of baking. Specifically, it describes the different impacts of baking soda compared to baking powder on the chemical reactions occurring inside the cookie.
● Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda, is a salt that is typically added to cookies and
pastries to enhance their texture and give them a soft and fluffy appearance.
● When heated to a minimum of 80 degrees Celsius, or 180 degrees Fahrenheit, however, a
chemical reaction occurs in which two molecules of this salt (𝑁𝑎𝐻𝐶𝑂3) break apart into
sodium carbonate (𝑁𝑎2𝐶𝑂3), water, and carbon monoxide.
● While the secret when baking cookies lies in the release of carbon monoxide, one of the
other products is also quite interesting: sodium carbonate.
● Sodium carbonate, with it’s pH of 11.5, acts as a strong base and so can be found in
plenty of skincare and haircare products, to help dissolve fats and oils.
● “Oral consumption of sodium carbonate dissolved in water could act as an antacid. It
neutralizes gastric acid in the stomach, explains PubChem, but it's not commonly
prescribed for this use.” (livestrong)
● 2𝑁𝑎𝐻𝐶𝑂3 → 𝑁𝑎2𝐶𝑂3 + 𝐻2𝑂 + 𝐶𝑂2
● Similarly, baking powder helps cookies taste better! However, its chemical equations is
slightly different, and so are its properties.
● While baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, baking powder is sodium bicarbonate
combined with a powdered acid, hydrogen cation. (mcgill.ca)
+ +
● 𝑁𝑎𝐻𝐶𝑂3 + 𝐻 → 𝑁𝑎 + 𝐻2𝑂 + 𝐶𝑂2
+
● Once again the product here is interesting since 𝑁𝑎 , also known as Sodium ion, which
may be a familiar name to some when talking about batteries. Now although this may
lead some to believe that this substance must be unsafe to consume it is completely safe
as long as it's ingested in small amounts. This substance is necessary for our body to
function correctly. “Sodium ion (Na+) is the principal extracellular cation and solute, and
is essential for generation of action potentials in nervous and cardiac tissue.”
(sciencedirect)
● Of course, in real life, adding an acid to a recipe containing baking soda, such as lemon
juice, buttermilk, or cream of tartar, can cause much more complicated chemical
reactions to occur, even without the presence of heat.
● Both reactions are exothermic and acid-base reactions.
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