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.
Chemical Properties
The chemical properties of water are determined by the polarity of the water molecule and the strength of the hydrogen bond.
Water is a polar molecule, meaning that the electrons in the molecule are not evenly distributed. One end of the molecule is positively charged (the hydrogen atoms) and the other end is negatively charged (the oxygen atom). This polarity allows water to dissolve many different types of molecules.
The hydrogen bond is the attraction between the hydrogen atom in one water molecule and the oxygen atom in another water molecule. This bond is very strong and allows water to dissolve many different types of molecules.
Specification ::
| CAS number | : 7727-73-3 |
| Molecular formula | : Na2SO4•10H2O |
| Molecular weight | : 322.19 (142.04anhy) |
| Appearance (Color) | : Translucent or white |
| Form | : Crystals or crystalline powder |
| Assay (unspecified) | : >98.5% (dry wt. basis) |
| Loss on Drying | : 52.0-57.0% (8.5-10.5 waters, 130°C/const. wt.) |
