Na₂CO₃

This is Sodium carbonate

Contains: 2 sodium atoms (Na) 1 carbonate group (CO₃) Often called washing soda

H₂O₂

This is Hydrogen peroxide

Contains:

2 hydrogen atoms (H)
2 oxygen atoms (O)

Known as a bleaching and disinfecting agent

The dot (·)

The dot means these substances are combined in a fixed ratio, not chemically bonded like in a typical molecule. This is called an Adduct (or sometimes a perhydrate in this case).

The coefficients (2 and 3)

2 Na₂CO₃ → 2 units of sodium carbonate
3 H₂O₂ → 3 units of hydrogen peroxide

So the ratio is 2:3.

Putting it all together

The whole expression represents a compound where:

Sodium carbonate is combined with hydrogen peroxide In a 2:3 ratio

This type of compound is commonly related to Sodium percarbonate, which is widely used in laundry detergents as an oxygen bleach. This is not a single molecule, but a structured mixture in a fixed proportion.

Sodium percarbonate or sodium carbonate peroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula 2 Na2CO3 · 3 H2O2. It is an addition compound, specifically a co-crystal, formed by sodium carbonate ("soda ash" or "washing soda") and hydrogen peroxide (that is, a perhydrate). It is a colorless, crystalline, hygroscopic, and water-soluble solid.[4] It is sometimes abbreviated as SPC. It contains 32.5% by weight of hydrogen peroxide.

How is it stable if it's not bonded? what is preventing the separation of the two? Moreover, what is preventing the oxygen from escaping just the absence of h2O?

Great question—this gets into how solids can be “held together” without traditional covalent bonds.

Why doesn’t it just fall apart?

Even though Sodium percarbonate isn’t a single covalent molecule, it is a well-organized crystal.

What holds it together is a network of intermolecular forces, mainly:

1 Ionic framework:

(from sodium carbonate) Sodium carbonate forms a strong ionic lattice:

Na⁺ ions
CO₃²⁻ ions

This lattice is already very stable on its own.

2 Hydrogen bonding (key stabilizer)

Hydrogen peroxide can form strong Hydrogen bonding The H₂O₂ molecules “fit” into the crystal and hydrogen-bond to:

Oxygen atoms in carbonate (CO₃²⁻)
Other H₂O₂ molecules

Final thoughts

Compare this to Sodium Tetraborate Na2B4O5(OH)4·8H2O which does have covalent bonds and thus is distinct from sodium carbonate.