Electrolyte production

[George]

Hi all,

I am trying to make electrolyte using the methods on the forum:

Bake the baking soda in a 375F degree oven for at least 30 minutes.
Alternately put the baking soda in a non-aluminum saucepan and heat on high until no steam bubbles appear and a cold lid placed on the pan shows no signs of condensation. Heat an additional 10 minutes to insure complete conversion.

So I baked it for about 45 minutes at 200 Celsius and it turned a little bit brownish... I did not know if it was ready so I tried the second method too.
The second method I think I did even worse (how can someone not be able to bake baking soda?  )
I am attaching the result in a photo. What am I doing wrong? I put it in a pan on high and all of a sudden it started to create a volcanic eruption of some sort, while turning brown. Is this as it is supposed to be?

Can I use this to make electrolyte for colloidal silver?
Also is there a way to know that what I've done is ok?
Thanks!

[RickinWI]

I would not try to use that.  I suspect that it reacted with the metal container.

I would try again. Put the baking soda in a PYREX or any oven safe GLASS container.

When I did it I had the oven @ 400*F ( just over 200*C) for well over an hour. At the end it was just as white as when I started.  Spread it out in a thin layer so it all converts to Sodium Carbonate.

[kephra]

Are you sure its baking soda and not baking powder?  Thats really weird!

[Gene]

Yeah, weird. I made mine in the oven at around 400F also for about an hour and it came out just as white as it was when it went in.  I don't recall what I heated it in because I made it a couple years ago and still have most of it left but most likely it was a corning glass casserole dish.

Either you're getting a weird reaction between the baking soda and the metal container or the metal container wasn't cleaned properly and its a reaction with something still on the inside thats stuck to the container or as kephra indicates, you may have tried to use baking POWDER and not baking SODA (a.k.a. sodium bicarbonate).

Baking powder is a concoction of a few different ingredients.  Its absolutely not pure sodium bicarbonate.

Do let us know what the issue was once you figure it out.  I, for one, am curious from an informational perspective.

Oh yeah, do not use what you've made already - there's obviously something wrong with it.

[George]

I used backing powder
I'll go at it again with what I found today at the store (Soda bicarbonate). It does not say backing soda but I think its the right stuff.
Thanks everyone!

[Gene]

That explains it.  Baking powder is a concoction of various other chemicals which includes baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and absolutely not suitable for this use.

Its called baking soda in the US (chemically, sodium bicarbonate).  Perhaps in other countries it simply goes by its chemical name?

But yes, soda bicarbonate is the right stuff (or natrium bicarbonate for our spanish speaking readers).