Trona

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.

Synonyms and Related Terms

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

Raman

Other 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

Hazards and Safety

Noncombustible

Additional Information

WebMinerals: Trona

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• 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

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "trona" Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. [Accessed 20 Sept. 2005].

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trona (Accessed Sept. 20, 2005)

• 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