Short for bicarbonate of soda; a white powder (baking soda) used in cooking and for cleaning.
Shortened form of 'bicarbonate,' from 'bi-' (two) and 'carbonate' (a salt of carbonic acid). The abbreviation emerged in the 20th century in casual speech.
Baking soda is one of the few substances that does multiple jobs—cooking, cleaning, deodorizing, antacids—making it perhaps the most versatile cheap chemical in human homes, yet most people think chemistry is useless.
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