GLAUBER SALT

The Glauber’s salt is the decahydrate sodium sulphate form. It can also be called the mirabilite. The chemical formula for the Glauber’s salt is denoted by Na2SO4.10H2O. This salt is a vitreous mineral with a white or colourless appearance. 

The decahydrate of sodium sulphate is known as Glauber’s salt after the Dutch/German chemist and apothecary Johann Rudolf Glauber (1604–1670), who discovered it in Austrian spring water in 1625. He named it sal mirabilis (miraculous salt), because of its medicinal properties: the crystals were used as a general-purpose laxative, until more sophisticated alternatives came about in the 1900s. 

GLAUBER SALT

Glauber’s salt is the decahydrate form of sodium sulphate. It is also known as mirabilite. The chemical formula of Glauber’s salt can be written as Na2SO4.10H2O. Glauber’s salt is known to be a vitreous mineral with a white or colourless appearance that is formed as an evaporite from brines containing sodium sulphate. It can be noted that this compound is known to occur naturally along saline playa lakes and also around saline springs. Glauber’s salt is named after the German-Dutch chemist and alchemist Johann Rudolf Glauber.

SYNTHESIS OF GLAUBER SALT

METHOD 1

In laboratories, sodium sulphate can be prepared by neutralising sodium hydroxide with sulfuric acid.

2NaOH+ H2SO4→Na2SO4+ 2H2O

Sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate can also be used in lieu of sodium hydroxide

METHOD 2

Sodium sulphate can be obtained by treating hydrogen peroxide with either sodium sulphide or sodium sulphite

Na2S+ 4H2O2→Na2SO4+ 4H2O

Na2SO3+ H2O2→Na2SO4+ H2O

METHOD 3

It is also formed when mixing equimolar solutions of sodium bisulfate and sodium hydroxide.

NaHSO4+ NaOH→Na2SO4+H2O

METHOD 4

It is obtained as a byproduct during the manufacture of mineral acids

NaHSO4+ NaCl→Na2SO4+HCl

METHOD 5

It can be prepared by a double displacement method using two pretty benign compounds

2NaHCO3+MgSO4→ Na2SO4+ Mg(OH)2+ CO2

STRUCTURE

The decahydrate crystals contain the [Na(OH2)6]+ ions having octahedral molecular geometry. The octahedra shares the edges. 8 out of these 10 water molecules are further bound to the sodium, and the remaining two are hydrogen bonds, interstitial and they are bonded to the sulphate. The resulting cations are linked to sulphate anions via hydrogen bonds. The crystalline sodium sulphate decahydrate is uncommon amongst hydrated salts for having the moderate residual entropy of 6.32 J⋅K−1⋅mol−1. This indicates the ability of distributing water rapidly in comparison to most other hydrates.

PROPERTIES 

• The molar mass of Glauber’s salt is 322.2 grams per mole.
• This compound is known to crystallise in a monoclinic crystal system.
• The physical appearance of Glauber’s salt may be colourless, white, greenish-white, or yellowish-white. The texture may be either granular or coarse, well-formed crystals.
• It can be noted that Glauber’s salt is not radioactive. This compound does not exhibit fluorescence.
• Under standard conditions for temperature and pressure (often abbreviated to STP), the density of this compound is equal to 1.464 grams per cubic centimetre.
• The melting point of Glauber’s salt corresponds to 32.38 degrees Celsius.
• When heated, it is not uncommon for this chemical compound to undergo dehydration.
• It can be noted that the molecular geometry of Glauber’s features octahedrally shaped [Na(OH2)6]+ ions.

USES

Glauber’s salt is widely used as the laxative in numerous medications. This compound is also effective in the removal of excessive drugs, such as paracetamol, from the body when it is used in overdose. This compound is also useful for storing low-grade solar heat when it is transforming from the solid phase to the liquid phase. The chemical industry also uses Glauber’s salt for producing several important chemicals from a commercial point of view.

CONCLUSION

The Glauber’s salt is the decahydrate sodium sulphate form. It can also be called the mirabilite. The chemical formula for the Glauber’s salt is denoted by Na2SO4.10H2O. This salt is the vitreous mineral with the white or colourless appearance. 

In laboratories, sodium sulphate can be prepared by neutralising sodium hydroxide with sulfuric acid.

Na2SO4 can be obtained by treating hydrogen peroxide with either sodium sulfide or sodium sulphite

It is also formed when mixing equimolar solutions of sodium bisulfate and sodium hydroxide.

It is obtained as a byproduct during the manufacture of mineral acids

It can be prepared by a double displacement method using two pretty benign compounds

The decahydrate crystals contain the [Na(OH2)6]+ ions having octahedral molecular geometry

The molar mass of Glauber’s salt is 322.2 grams per mole.

This compound is known to crystallise in a monoclinic crystal system.

The physical appearance of Glauber’s salt may be colourless, white, greenish-white, or yellowish-white. The texture may be either granular or coarse, well-formed crystals

Glauber’s salt is widely used as the laxative in numerous medications. This compound is also effective in the removal of excessive drugs, such as paracetamol, from the body when it is used in overdose.