Fill in the Blanks with suitable words

1. Chemical name of Epsom salt is _______.

2. The chemical used to soften hard water is _________

1. Chemical name of Epsom salt is Magnesium Sulphate.

Magnesium sulphate is an inorganic salt with a molecular formula of MgSO₄.7H₂O. It is often encountered as the heptahydrate sulfate mineral epsomite commonly called Epsom salt.

2. The chemical used to soften hard water is Sodium Carbonate (Na₂CO₃).

Hard water contains soluble calcium bicarbonates and
magnesium bicarbonates, when washing soda is added to hard water, the soluble bicarbonates are converted to insoluble carbonates and a white residue is left making the water soft.

Ca(HCO₃)₂ + Na₂CO₃→ CaCO₃ + Na₂SO₄