30 December: Bicarbonate of Soda Day

It's National Bicarbonate of Soda Day. Bicarbonate of soda is also known as Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda. here are some facts about it.

1. The chemical formula for Bicarbonate of Soda is NaHCO3, and its E number is E500.
2. John Dwight and Austin Church, two bakers from New York, established the first factory in the United States to produce baking soda from sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide, in 1846.
3. An old fashioned word for baking soda is Saleratus ("aerated Salt"). Rudyard Kipling mentions it in his novel Captains Courageous - fishermen used it to stop their catch from spoiling.
4. Groucho Marx made jokes about it. In A Night at the Opera, Groucho's character says of the lead tenor: "Signor Lassparri comes from a very famous family. His mother was a well-known bass singer. His father was the first man to stuff Spaghetti with bicarbonate of soda, thus causing and curing indigestion at the same time."
5. Its most common use in cookery is as a leavening agent for Bread and cakes, as an alternative to yeast. Lesser known uses include tenderising meat (meat marinaded in baking soda and water has a slightly altered pH level which keeps the meat tender) and to give vegetables a brighter Green colour.
6. Its uses aren't limited to cookery. It absorbs bad odours, so can be used as an ingredient for deodorant, Toothpaste and is even used by sellers of antique books when their merchandise gets smelly.
7. It's extremely bad for cockroaches. If they eat it, it releases gases in their insides and makes their internal organs burst.
8. Humans, however, can use it for medicinal purposes. It's slightly alkaline and so taking some with Water helps acid indigestion. It's also good for allergic reactions to plants like poison ivy. Turned into a paste and applied to a stubborn splinter, it will soften the skin around it, making it easier to remove.
9. Another use you can put it to is cleaning. Combined with vinegar it can be used to clean glass, plastic, steel and other surfaces. It can also be used to clean Silver. Put a couple of spoonfuls in a basin lined with cooking foil. Put your dirty silver in and pour boiling water over it. Let it soak until the silver is clean again. Should you ever find yourself having to wash cloths contaminated with Uranium, as they did during the Manhattan Project in the 1940s, normal laundry detergent won't get it out, but a 2% solution of sodium bicarbonate will get rid of those pesky uranium stains.
10. Finally, you can make rockets with it to amuse the kids. Find out here how to do it: http://easyscienceforkids.com/making-a-vinegar-and-baking-soda-rocket-facts-for-kids-video/.

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Secrets and Skies

Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.

Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.

Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.

Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.

Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.

Part One of The Raiders Trilogy.

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