What is Baking Soda?

After doing much research on how to live a natural lifestyle by making most of my products at home and chemical free I have found that majority of the things you want to clean, cook or use on your body consists of baking soda. Generally baking soda is know for its use in the kitchen for baking when it is used as a leavening agent. Little did I know I would be using this in almost everything I made and how many benefits it has.
   So the question is what exactly is Baking Soda and why is it so useful. Below I will give you the other names its known by and some of the scientific breakdown on why this is so powerful.

Baking Soda is also known as

• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Sodium hydrogen carbonate
• Bicarbonate of soda

 It is a 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). The natural mineral form is nahcolite. It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs.

Baking soda is a chemical salt with diverse practical uses. With a chemical formula of NaHCO3, it is a white powder with crystalline grains. Although it can be produced by artificial means, in its natural form, baking soda is called nahcolite, taking its name from its chemical formula.
Sodium bicarbonate is weakly alkaline. As such, it acts to neutralize acids and break down proteins. This quality accounts for its usefulness as a tenderizer and a leaven. Also, its neutralizing action on acidic scent molecules makes it an effective deodorizer. Added to the water when doing laundry, baking soda stabilizes the pH level, enhancing the detergent’s effectiveness. It may also be added to swimming pool water to balance the pH and keep the water clear. Because it is so weakly alkalized there are tons of uses for it and many benefits. 

Information for Baking soda was used from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate and http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-baking-soda.htm. Click these links for more detailed information.