Final answer:
To produce sodium hydrogen carbonate in the lab, first react sodium metal with water to form sodium hydroxide, then bubble carbon dioxide through the solution to precipitate sodium hydrogen carbonate.
Step-by-step explanation:
To prepare a solid sample of sodium hydrogen carbonate starting with sodium metal in the laboratory, you would first need to react the sodium metal with water to form sodium hydroxide according to the equation:
2Na(s) + 2H2O(l) → 2NaOH(aq) + H2(g). The next step involves reacting the aqueous sodium hydroxide with carbon dioxide gas. When carbon dioxide is bubbled through the sodium hydroxide solution, sodium hydrogen carbonate (sodium bicarbonate) precipitates out of the solution as per the following reaction: 2NaOH(aq) + CO2(g) → Na2CO3(aq) + H2O(l), followed by Na2CO3(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l) → 2NaHCO3(s).
The solid sodium hydrogen carbonate can then be filtered out, washed, and dried to obtain the final product. The use of proper safety equipment such as gloves and eye protection is crucial due to the reactivity of sodium metal with water.