Difference Between Borax and Baking Soda

The key difference between borax and baking soda is that the borax is a sodium borate that appears as a white solid whereas the baking soda is a sodium bicarbonate that appears as white crystals.

Borax is a term that describes a class of chemical compounds that include hydrated and anhydrous sodium borate. Moreover, it is a salt of boric acid, which is a common ingredient in many detergents, cosmetics and enamel glazes. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which has many uses including cooking, pest control, medical uses, as a cleaning agent, etc. Let us discuss more details on these compound as follows.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Borax
3. What is Baking Soda
4. Side by Side Comparison – Borax vs Baking Soda in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Borax?

Borax is a common name for either anhydrous or hydrated forms of sodium borate. It is a salt of boric acid. The general chemical formula of this compound is Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O because the name borax is usually used for the decahydrate form of sodium borate. It appears as a white solid. The molar mass of this compound is 381.38 g/mol. This compound easily converts into boric acid.

Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O + 2 HCl → 4 H₃BO₃ + 2 NaCl + 5 H₂O

Moreover, we can use this compound (decahydrate form) as a primary standard for titrimetric analysis. That is because this compound is sufficiently stable and pure for that purpose. Borax naturally occurs in evaporite deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes.

Difference Between Borax and Baking Soda

Figure 01: Appearance of Borax

The uses of this compound include followings;

As an ingredient in laundry products and cleaning agents
To make buffers
To form complexes with various other substances
For water-softening
For the extraction of gold in small-scale gold mining

What is Baking Soda?

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It is an inorganic solid compound that appears as white crystals. It has the chemical formula NaHCO_3, and the molar mass is 84 g/mol. Moreover, it is a salt containing sodium cations and bicarbonate anions. The naturally occurring form of this compound is “nahcolite”.

Key Difference Between Borax and Baking Soda

Figure 02: Appearance of Baking Soda

The major uses of this compound are as follows:

We can use this compound for cooking purposes as a leavening agent
As a pest control to kill cockroaches
It can raise the alkalinity of water sources
Useful as a mild disinfectant
Useful for the neutralization of acids and bases

What is the Difference Between Borax and Baking Soda?

Borax is a common name for either anhydrous or hydrated forms of sodium borate. The general chemical formula of borax is Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O. It has the molar mass 381.38 g/mol. Moreover, it is useful as a cleaning agent, to make buffers, for water-softening, for small-scale gold extractions, etc. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. The chemical formula of this compound is NaHCO₃. Its molar mass is 84 g/mol. More importantly, it is useful as a leavening agent in cooking, a pest control, to raise alkalinity, as a mild disinfectant, etc. These are the important differences between borax and baking soda.

Summary – Borax vs Baking Soda

Both borax and baking soda are common names of two different chemical compounds. The difference between borax and baking soda is that the borax is a sodium borate that appears as a white solid whereas the baking soda is a sodium bicarbonate that appears as white crystals.

Reference:

1. “Borax.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 July 2018. Available here
2. “Sodium Bicarbonate.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 July 2018. Available here

Image Courtesy:

1.’Borax crystals’By Aram Dulyan (User:Aramgutang) – Own work, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2.’Sodium bicarbonate’By Thavox – Own work, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia