Mirabilite
Encyclopedia
Mirabilite, also known as Glauber's salt, is a hydrous sodium
sulfate mineral
with the chemical formula Na2SO4·10H2O. It is a vitreous, colorless to white monoclinic mineral which forms as an evaporite
from sodium sulfate bearing brine
s. It is found around saline springs and along saline playa lakes. Associated minerals include gypsum
, halite
, thenardite
, trona
, glauberite
, and epsomite
.
Mirabilite is unstable and quickly dehydrates in dry air, the prismatic crystals turning into a white powder, thenardite
(Na2SO4). In turn, thenardite can also absorb water and converts to mirabilite.
Mirabilite is used as a purgative in the Traditional Chinese medicine
; in Mandarin it is called máng xiāo. Its name is based on the phrase "Sal mirabilis" (Latin for "wonderful salt") used by Johann Rudolph Glauber when he inadvertently synthesized mirabilite.
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
sulfate mineral
Sulfate mineral
The sulfate minerals are a class of minerals which include the sulfate ion within their structure. The sulfate minerals occur commonly in primary evaporite depositional environments, as gangue minerals in hydrothermal veins and as secondary minerals in the oxidizing zone of sulfide mineral deposits...
with the chemical formula Na2SO4·10H2O. It is a vitreous, colorless to white monoclinic mineral which forms as an evaporite
Evaporite
Evaporite is a name for a water-soluble mineral sediment that result from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporate deposits, marine which can also be described as ocean deposits, and non-marine which are found in standing bodies of...
from sodium sulfate bearing brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
s. It is found around saline springs and along saline playa lakes. Associated minerals include gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
, halite
Halite
Halite , commonly known as rock salt, is the mineral form of sodium chloride . Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities...
, thenardite
Thenardite
Thenardite is an anhydrous sodium sulfate mineral, Na2SO4 which occurs in arid evaporite environments. It also occurs in dry caves and old mine workings as an efflorescence and as a crusty deposit around fumaroles. It occurs in volcanic caves on Mt...
, trona
Trona
Trona ; Na3•2H2O is an evaporite mineral. It is mined as the primary source of sodium carbonate in the United States, where it has replaced the Solvay process used in most of the rest of the world for sodium carbonate production.- Etymology :The word "trona" comes to English by way of either...
, glauberite
Glauberite
Glauberite is a sodium calcium sulfate mineral with the formula Na2Ca2, which forms as an evaporite. It is named for the closely related Glauber's salts. Because of its solubility, glauberite is often dissolved away from the crystal matrix leaving a mould into which other minerals are deposited...
, and epsomite
Epsomite
Epsomite is a hydrous magnesium sulfate mineral with formula MgSO4·7H2O or simply MgSO4. Epsomite forms as encrustations or efflorescences on limestone cavern walls and mine timbers and walls, as a volcanic fumaroles, and as rare beds in evaporate layers...
.
Mirabilite is unstable and quickly dehydrates in dry air, the prismatic crystals turning into a white powder, thenardite
Thenardite
Thenardite is an anhydrous sodium sulfate mineral, Na2SO4 which occurs in arid evaporite environments. It also occurs in dry caves and old mine workings as an efflorescence and as a crusty deposit around fumaroles. It occurs in volcanic caves on Mt...
(Na2SO4). In turn, thenardite can also absorb water and converts to mirabilite.
Mirabilite is used as a purgative in the Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
; in Mandarin it is called máng xiāo. Its name is based on the phrase "Sal mirabilis" (Latin for "wonderful salt") used by Johann Rudolph Glauber when he inadvertently synthesized mirabilite.