Soda¹

[a. med.L. soda (It. and Pg. soda, Sp. soda, sosa, F. soude, † soulde, soulte), of unknown origin.]

  1.  An alkaline substance obtained originally from the ashes of certain marine or other salt-impregnated plants, esp. species of Salsola, and now manufactured artificially from common salt, or occurring in a mineral state as a deposit, esp. in certain lakes, or in solution in the water of such lakes (natron); used largely in commerce, esp. in the manufacture of glass and soap; soda-ash; sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃).

  Freq. used as a synonym of sodium in the names of various compounds of that element, as muriate, nitrate, sulphate, etc., of soda.

1558.  Warde, trans. Alexis’ Secr., I. IV. 78. Take an vnce of Soda (whiche is asshes made of grasse, whereof glassemakers doo vse to make their Cristall).

1678.  R. R[ussell], trans. Geber, IV. iv. 245. True Salt-Alkali is made of Zoza (or Soda) dissolved.

1693.  trans. Blancard’s Phys. Dict. (ed. 2), Soda, the Ashes of the Herb Kali Burnt, whereof Glass is made.

1767.  Phil. Trans., LVII. 420. The fossil [alkali] or mineral, called likewise soda and natrum.

1796.  Kirwan, Elem. Min. (ed. 2), II. 19. Soda affects it but slightly.

1839.  Ure, Dict. Arts, 1150. Soda, Carbonate of … is the soda of commerce in various states, either crystallized, in lumps, or in a crude powder called soda-ash.

1870.  Yeats, Nat. Hist. Comm., 249. A large proportion of the plants growing on sea-coasts contain soda, whilst inland plants contain potash.

  fig.  1823.  Byron, Juan, X. lxxiii. Half-solved into these sodas or magnesias, Which form that bitter draught, the human species.

  b.  Sodium bicarbonate, used largely for domestic purposes; baking or cooking soda.

1851–4.  Tomlinson’s Cycl. Usef. Arts, I. 183/1. Mix the soda perfectly with the flour.

1893.  Westm. Gaz., 21 April, 5/2. A half cwt. of soda could be bought for 3s.

  c.  Caustic soda, sodium hydroxide or hydrate (NaOH). Cf. CAUSTIC a. 1 c.

1839.  Ure, Dict. Arts, 132. A ley of caustic soda. Ibid. Caustic soda ley. Ibid., 1150. Caustic soda is a white brittle mass,… having a most corrosive taste and action upon animal matters.

1871.  A. B. Garrod, Mat. Med. (ed. 3), 132. Liquor Sodæ, above described, contains caustic soda.

  † 2.  The prickly saltwort, Salsola kali, = KALI 1.

1658.  trans. Porta’s Nat. Magick, VI. i. 178. The herb Kali or Saltwort is commonly called Soda.

  3.  Chem. Sodium oxide (Na₂O).

1826.  Henry, Elem. Chem., I. 557. The next oxide of sodium is soda.

1856.  Miller, Elem. Chem., Inorg., 743. Oxide of Sodium, or Soda (NaO), forms the basis of the important series of salts of soda.

1868.  Watts, Dict. Chem., Soda: This term, in scientific language, is applied to the anhydrous protoxide of sodium (Na²O).

  4.  Soda-water.

1842.  S. Lover, Handy Andy, i. Bang went the bottle of soda.

1864.  Sala, Quite Alone, I. xiv. 220. Keep him on his soda-and-B. That won’t do him any harm.

1897.  Surg.-Capt. Hughes, Medit. Fever, v. 210. An occasional whiskey with water or soda … is useful.

  5.  attrib. and Comb.

  a.  Misc., chiefly in sense 1, as soda-bath, -compound, -crystals, -lime, -salt, soap, etc.; soda-carbonate, muriate, tartrate; in Photogr. for hyposulphite of soda, as soda developer, development, -pyro, -solution, etc.; soda-ash, the sodium carbonate of commerce, = SODA¹ 1; soda lake, a natron lake; soda-lye (see quot. 1867); soda-paper, -prairie, waste (see quots.).

1839.  *Soda-ash [see 1].

1884.  W. S. B. McLaren, Spinning (ed. 2), 29. Soda crystals, or soda-ash,… are carbonates of soda.

1865.  Princess Alice, Mem. (1884), 99. I am taking warm *soda-baths in the morning.

1839.  Ure, Dict. Arts, 1151. The crystals of *soda-carbonate … are now made altogether by the decomposition of sea salt.

1845.  Day, trans. Simon’s Anim. Chem., I. 182. Hence the albumen in the blood cannot exist as a *soda-compound (albuminate of soda).

1839.  Ure, Dict. Arts, 1155. Our commercial *soda crystals are composed of—1 atom of carbonic acid, 1 atom of soda, and 10 atoms of water.

1892.  Photogr. Ann., II. 89. The *soda developer tends to give softer images.

1890.  Anthony’s Photogr. Bulletin, III. 65. *Soda development is apt to give a yellow image.

1864.  Roscoe, in Reader, 24 Sept., 387/1. Such a light is the monochromatic *soda-flame.

1839.  Ure, Dict. Arts, 1155. There are several *soda lakes in Mexico.

1862.  Miller, Elem. Chem., Org., i. § 1 (ed. 2), 19. A portion of this alkalized lime, or *soda-lime as it is frequently termed.

1839.  Ure, Dict. Arts, 132. Avoid lime,… but use it freely after one or two *soda leys.

1867.  Bloxam, Chem., 266. Soda lye, employed in the manufacture of hard soap, is a solution of hydrate of soda. Ibid., 572. A weak soda-ley.

1804.  Phil. Trans., XCIV. 427. The *soda-muriate of palladium is a deliquescent salt.

1875.  Knight, Dict. Mech., 2236/1. *Soda-paper. A paper made by saturating filtering paper with carbonate of soda.

1793.  T. Beddoes, Calculus, p. x. His experience of the good effects of *soda pills, in cases of biliary concretion.

1859.  Bartlett, Dict. Amer. (ed. 2), 426. *Soda-Prairie. A plain covered with an efflorescence of soda, elsewhere called natron.

1889.  Anthony’s Photogr. Bulletin, II. 391. I worked always with *soda-pyro.

1836–41.  Brande, Chem. (ed. 5), 716. When magnesia is precipitated by excess of carbonate of soda, a portion of the triple *soda-salt is retained.

1834–6.  Encycl. Metrop. (1845), VIII. 434/1. Common salt … hardens and renders it equal to the *soda soaps.

1884.  W. S. B. McLaren, Spinning (ed. 2), 28. Soda soaps are hard, potash soaps are soft.

1809.  Phil. Trans., XCIX. 327. These parts … certainly afforded no *soda-tartrate of potash.

1849.  D. Campbell, Inorg. Chem., 115. Water dissolves out the soda salts, leaving the insoluble oxisulphide of calcium, known as *soda waste.

  b.  Connected or dealing with sodium carbonate or its manufacture, as soda-apparatus, -furnace, industry, -making, manufacture, etc. Also with agent-nouns, as soda-furnacer, maker.

  (a)  1839.  Ure, Dict. Arts, 1151. Soda manufacture. Ibid., 1152. The draught of a soda-furnace must be very sharp. Ibid., 1153. In some soda-works, where the decomposing furnace is very large.

1853.  Ure’s Dict. Arts, II. 683. The whole process of soda-making.

1875.  Knight, Dict. Mech., 2234/1. Soda-apparatus.

1884.  Gilmour, Mongols, 169. Particularly fatal is this rough road to the wooden axles of the soda carts.

  (b)  1839.  Ure, Dict. Arts, 1153. The dexterous management of this transposition characterizes a good soda-furnacer.

1853.  Ure’s Dict. Arts, II. 682. Having … obtained a quantity of sulphate of soda, the soda maker now proceeds to his next operation.

  c.  With the names of minerals containing soda, as soda alum, -chabazite, -copperas, -feldspar, -lime-feldspar, -nitre, -saltpetre, -spodumene (see quots.). Also soda-granitic adj.

  Many of these terms are now obsolete.

1837.  Dana, Min., 170. Solfatarite, alumen volcanicum. *Soda Alum.

1876.  Harley, Royle’s Mat. Med., 192. Soda alum and ammonia alum are formed by replacing the equivalent of potash with one of soda or ammonia.

1836.  T. Thomson, Min., Geol., etc. I. 335. Combinations of the common calcareous-chabasite and the *soda-chabasite of Berzelius.

1844.  Dana, Mineral., 226. A *Soda Copperas has been analyzed by Scheerer.

1868.  Watts, Dict. Chem., Soda copperas, a sodio-ferric sulphate found in the alum-slate of Modum in Norway.

1863.  Dana, Man. Geol., 56. Albite or *Soda-feldspar.

1845.  Darwin, Voy. Nat., xv. 320. Mountain masses of a peculiar white *soda-granitic rock.

1867.  Ure’s Dict. Arts (ed. 6), II. 269. *Soda-lime-felspar (often containing potash); labradorite.

1896.  Chester, Dict. Min., *Soda-nitre, nitrate of sodium, found as a mineral.

1848.  Knapp’s Chem. Technol., I. 344. The more common salts of nitric acid … are distinguished from each other by the addition of the name of the base as:… *soda-saltpetre (cubic nitre).

1850.  Ansted, Elem. Geol., Min., etc. 193. Oligoclase, *Soda-spodumene, a mineral having the same relation to spodumene that albite has to true felspar.

  6.  Made with, or containing, sodium bicarbonate, as soda-biscuit, -bread, -cake, -cracker, -scone, etc.

1891.  Cent. Dict., *Soda-biscuit.… A biscuit raised with soda.

1884.  Mrs. Riddell, Berna Boyle, I. xiii. 226. The *soda-bread was rising to a satisfactory thickness.

1894.  Lyttle, Betsy Gray, iii. 22. Potato cake, pancakes, *soda-cake, and other manufactures.

1873.  B. Harte, Fiddletown, 53. Like an enormous japanned *soda-cracker.

1891.  Cent. Dict., *Soda-mint.… A mixture containing sodium bicarbonate and spearmint.

1897.  Allbutt’s Syst. Med., III. 741. Bismuth lozenges, soda-mint tablets.

1856.  Mrs. Carlyle, Lett., II. 291. I … had taken a sip or two of tea and bitten into my *soda-scone.

  7.  Used for, or containing, soda-water, as soda bottle, -fountain, tumbler, etc.

1824.  Byron, Juan, XVI. ix. Like a soda bottle when its spray Has sparkled.

1875.  Knight, Dict. Mech., 2235/1. Soda-fountain. A vessel for containing soda-water or water charged with carbonic-acid gas under high pressure, and provided with pipes and valves for drawing it off as required.