[whizkidindia]

I was trying to prepare some sodium carbonate by home by heating baking powder as seen online. I am aware that it contains some raising agents and stuff too, so I wasn't expecting pure sodium carbonate. But, the substance turned black and smoke started coming out. It was very irritating to the eyes and made them burn in the entire room. What is the reason behind this? Also, could there be sodium carbonate in the powdery black substance?

[billnotgatez]

Could you give the product name you used?

[Arkcon]

Could you give the product name you used?

Or, could you read the label, and list the components?  Its a good way to learn, and you seem to want to learn.  Otherwise, you'd just buy sodium carbonate.

[AWK]

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Baking_powder

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/the_difference_between_baking_soda_and_baking_powder/

[whizkidindia]

Could you give the product name you used?

Or, could you read the label, and list the components?  Its a good way to learn, and you seem to want to learn.  Otherwise, you'd just buy sodium carbonate.

The box reads 'Blue Bird Baking Powder'.  I checked the ingredients, it has Edible Maize Starch, Raising Agent E-500, (which is Sodium Bicarbonate as looked up on the net ) and Acid (E-521).
And, I cannot buy chemicals that easily where I live + I'm 14 y/o, and no shop that I enqured sells pure bicarb.

[Arkcon]

Ok, you've read the ingredients.  What are the chemical properties of each? Are their chemical properties compatible with your purification method?  Can you come up with some better methods?

[billnotgatez]

@whizkidindia
I am liking the discussion so far
but
you can not get
Arm & Hammer Brand Baking Soda?

[whizkidindia]

Thank you for your advice, but I finally managed to get pure Bicarb! It was not branded, just a plastic packet with some bicarb in it, after searching through four shops!
Let me share my successful experiment!!
I heated some of it on the kitchen stove, but it was a fail since the container I used was an oven mold and the mold melted
Okay, so when I used a normal container, I saw white fumes coming out of the bicarb. I came to know it was ready when white fumes started coming out of it. Wow. I had created pure Sodium Carbonate! To make sure, I took a little bit of it and added water, it felt a little soapy to touch. As another test, I tested the pH of it using some homemade turmeric pH testing method and compared it to the colour  obtained by the sodium bicarb, and it was different! Now I surely have sodium carbonate!!!
Here's a fun experiment I did- I heated a solution of the Sodium carbonate (just mixed it with water) until it boiled and added a few pieces of aluminium foil. And then, the foil started fizzing and white fumes started coming out! I Am really happy that I could get all this to work. Can anyone give me written reactions for all of this ?

[Arkcon]

You can learn from a number of beginner books, and also online.  But lets get started:  Can you begin to write your chemicals as formulas in chemical shorthand?