Solvay process

noun

a process for manufacturing sodium carbonate whereby a concentrated solution of sodium chloride is saturated with ammonia, carbon dioxide is passed through it, and the product is calcined.

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Origin of Solvay process

First recorded in 1885–90; named after E. Solvay
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for solvay process

Solvay process
/ (ˈsɒlveɪ) /

noun

an industrial process for manufacturing sodium carbonate. Carbon dioxide is passed into a solution of sodium chloride saturated with ammonia. Sodium bicarbonate is precipitated and heated to form the carbonate

Word Origin for Solvay process

C19: named after Ernest Solvay (1838–1922), Belgian chemist who invented a process using salt, limestone, and ammonia
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for solvay process

Solvay process
[ sŏl′vā, sôl-vā′ ]

A process used to produce large quantities of sodium carbonate. In the Solvay process, salt (sodium chloride) is treated with ammonia and then carbon dioxide, producing sodium bicarbonate and ammonium chloride. The ammonium chloride is usually combined with lime to produce ammonia (recycled for reuse) and calcium chloride.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.