Trona

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Trona

Description

A white, yellow or gray mineral that contains sodium sesquicarbonate. Trona occurs as an evaporation product near mineral springs and in dry lake beds. Trona is mined in Hungary, Egypt (lower Nile Valley), Kenya (Rift Valley), Namibia (Etosha National Park), Armenia, Iran, Mongolia, Venezuela, and the U.S.(Wyoming, Tennessee, Utah, California). It is a primary source for sodium carbonates.

Raman

TronaRS.jpg

Synonyms and Related Terms

urao; nahcolite; trona (Esp., Port.); Trona (Deut.); trona (Ned.)

Risks

Noncombustible

Physical and Chemical Properties

  • Crystal system = monoclinic, prismatic
  • Cleavage = perfect in one direction
  • Fracture = subconchoidal
  • Luster = vitreous
  • Streak = white
Composition Na2CO3 - NaHCO3 - 2H2O
CAS 497-19-8
Mohs Hardness 2.5
Density 2.11-2.17 g/ml

Resources and Citations

  • G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 735
  • Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
  • Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
  • The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998