Thenardite
Sodium sulphate, a white salt found on some carbonaceous chondrites.
Key facts
- Formula
- Na2SO4
- Family
- Carbonates, sulphates, salts and weathering products
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
What it is
Thenardite is anhydrous sodium sulphate, a soluble white salt. It is named after Louis Jacques Thénard, a French chemist. It forms where salty water evaporates in dry climates.
Where it is found
Sodium sulphates have been reported among the white salts that grow on some CI and CM chondrites, together with epsomite and blödite. Many of these salts are thought to form after the fall, as sulphides oxidise in air.
How it is recognised
It forms white crusts that dissolve in water, identified by X-ray diffraction.
Did you know?
Did you know?
Thenardite crystallising in porous stone is a common cause of crumbling in old buildings.
Did you know?
Its hydrated form, mirabilite, is called Glauber's salt.