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Inorganic sodium sulfate (also known as sodium sulfate or sulfate of soda) is an inorganic compound with the formula Na2SO4 that can be broken down into a number of different hydrates. Every form is characterized by the presence of white solids that are highly soluble in water The decahydrate is a major commodity chemical product, with an annual production capacity of 6 million metric tonnes. It is primarily used as a filler in the production of powdered home laundry detergents, as well as in the Kraft process of paper pulping, where it is used to produce highly alkaline sulfides, among other things.
Forms
1.Anhydrous sodium sulfate, also known as the rare mineral thenardite, is a compound used in organic synthesis that is used as a drying agent.
2.Heptahydrate sodium sulfate is a very rare form of sodium sulfate.
3.Decahydrate sodium sulfate, also known as the mineral mirabilite, is a chemical compound that is widely used in the chemical industry. Glauber’s salt is another name for this substance.
History
After the Dutch/German chemist and apothecary Johann Rudolf Glauber (1604–1670), who discovered it in Austrian spring water in 1625, the decahydrate of sodium sulfate is referred to as Glauber’s salt. As a result of the medicinal properties of the crystals, he named it sal mirabilis (miraculous salt). The crystals were used as a general-purpose laxative until more sophisticated alternatives became available in the early 1900s.
Glauber’s salt was first used as a raw material for the industrial production of soda ash (sodium carbonate) in the 18th century, when it was combined with potash to form sodium carbonate (potassium carbonate). As the demand for soda ash increased, the supply of sodium sulfate had to increase to keep up with the demand. The large-scale Leblanc process, which produces synthetic sodium sulfate as a key intermediate, thus became the dominant method of soda-ash production in nineteenth-century Europe.
Chemical characteristics
It is an ionic sulfate that is electrostatically bound in the form of sodium chloride. When solutions containing free sulfate ions are treated with Ba2+ or Pb2+ salts, the formation of insoluble sulfates is rapid, indicating the presence of these ions.
In the reaction Na2SO4 + BaCl2 → 2NaCl + BaSO4
Sulfate of sodium is non-reactive with the majority of oxidizing and reducing agents. It can be converted to sodium sulfide at high temperatures through carbothermal reduction (also known as thermo-chemical sulfate reduction (TSR), high temperature heating with charcoal, and other methods.
When Na2SO4 and 2 C are combined, Na2S and 2CO2 are produced.
This reaction was used in the Leblanc process, which was a defunct industrial route to sodium carbonate that was once popular.
In the presence of sulfuric acid, sodium sulfate reacts to form the acid salt sodium bisulfate:
Na2SO4 + H2SO4 = 2 NaHSO4 is a chemical equation.
Sodium sulfate has a moderate tendency to combine with other elements to form double salts. Alums formed with common trivalent metals include NaAl(SO4)2 (unstable above 39 °C) and NaCr(SO4)2, in contrast to potassium sulfate and ammonium sulfate, which form a large number of stable alums when heated. Double salts with other alkali metal sulfates are known, including Na2SO4K2SO4, which occurs naturally as the mineral aphthitalite. Na2SO34K2SO4 is a double salt with potassium sulfate. The reaction of sodium sulfate with potassium chloride results in the formation of glaserite, which has been used as the basis of a method for producing potassium sulfate, which is a fertilizer. Another type of double salt is 3Na2SO4CaSO4, 3Na2SO4MgSO4 (vanthoffite), and another type is NaFNa2SO4.
Physical properties
Sodium sulfate has unusual solubility characteristics in water, making it difficult to dissolve.
Its solubility in water increases by a factor of more than ten between 0 °C and 32.384 °C, reaching a maximum concentration of 49.7 g/100 mL at the latter temperature. It is at this point that the slope of the solubility curve shifts, and the solubility becomes almost completely independent of temperature. When the crystal water is released and the hydrated salt is melted, the temperature of 32.384 degrees Celsius is reached. This temperature is used as an accurate temperature reference for thermometer calibration.
Conclusion
Sodium sulfate is generally considered to be non-toxic, but it should be handled with caution. The dust has the potential to cause temporary asthma attacks or eye irritation; however, eye protection and a paper mask can mitigate this risk. There are no restrictions on transportation, and there is no Risk Phrase or Safety Phrase in effect.
