SODIUM SULPHATE: ITS SOURCES AND USES

1 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORHUBERT WORK, SecretaryUNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEYGEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Bulletin 717 SODIUM sulphate : ITS SOURCES AND USESBYROGER C. WELLSWASHINGTONGOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1 923- , - _,v \ w , s OADDITIONAL COPIESOF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PBOCUKED FROMTHE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTSGOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICEWASHINGTON, D. CENTS PEE COPYPURCHASER AGREES NOT TO RESELL OR DISTRIBUTE THIS COPY FOR PROFIT. PUB. RES. 57, APPROVED MAY 11, ____ _____ _____ 1 Demand 1 Forms ____ __ __ _.

2 1 Uses . 1 Mineralogy of principal compounds of SODIUM sulphate _ 2 Mirabilite_____ 2 Thenardite__ __ _____ _____. 2 Aphthitalite_____ 3 Bloedite __ __ _____. 3 Glauberite _____ _____. 4-Hanksite __ _____ _____ _____ 4 Miscellaneous minerals _ _____ _____ 5 Solubility of SODIUM sulphate *.___. 5. Transition temperature of SODIUM sulphate_____ _____ 6 Reciprocal salt pair, SODIUM sulphate and potassium chloride____ 7 Relations at 0 C_____ 8 Relations at 25 C_____.

3 9 Relations at 50 C_____. 10 Relations at 75 and 100 C_____ 11 Salt cake_____ __ 13 Glauber's salt 15 Niter cake_ __ ____ _____ 16 Natural SODIUM sulphate _____ _ _ __ 17 Origin_____ 17 Deposits __ _____ _____ 18 Arizona . 18 California_____ 19 Colorado _ L_____ 21 Idaho _____ 21 Nevada __ _ _____ _ _ ____ 21 New Mexico _____ 24 Oregon _____ __ _____ _ 26 Texas __ ___ _____ , 27 Utah_____ 27 Washington _____ 28 Wyoming _____ ___ _____ 28 Canada _____ ____ ___ ____ 31 Mexico_____ ____ 31 South America _ 31 Africa _____ _~_____ 31 Asia_____ 32 Europe ___ _____ _ _ _ 33 sulphate process of making wood pulp 33 SODIUM sulphide of SODIUM sulphate in glass making_____ 36 Prospecting permits and mining leases_____ 36 Survey publications relating to SODIUM sulphate _____ 40

4 Index_____ _ 1. Mirabilite_____ 22. Thenardite_____ 33. Glauberite_____ 44. Hanksite_____ 55. Solubility of SODIUM sulphate in water_____ 56. Equilibrium diagram of certain salts at 0 C_____ 87. Equilibrium diagram of certain salts at 25 C_____ 98. Equilibrium diagram of certain salts at 50 C ___ __ 109. Equilibrium diagram of certain salts at 75 C___ __ 1110. Equilibrium diagram of certain salts at 100 C_____ 1211. Prices of salt cake per ton in the New York chemical market- 1412. Map showing alkali flat in Dona Ana County, N.

5 Mex____ 2513. Schematic outline of the sulphate process of making woodpulp_____ 34 SODIUM sulphate : ITS SOURCES AND EOGER C. The recent demand for SODIUM sulphate for export has greatly stimulated the search for deposits of the natural salt in several of the Western States, and so many requests for information about the SOURCES and uses of SODIUM sulphate have come to the United States Geological Survey that it has appeared desirable to publish a brief summary of the information available. The foreign demand has come chiefly from Sweden and Canada, where SODIUM sulphate is used in the sulphate process of making wood pulp that goes into the manufacture of kraft paper.

6 The normal source of SODIUM sul- phate for Sweden was Germany, but since the war the supply from that source has; not been adequate. The domestic demand in the United States has also tended to increase, whereas the production of calcined salt cake, the principal form in which SODIUM sulphate enters trade, has tended to decrease, as will be explained more fully , SODIUM sulphate is handled in trade in three forms salt cake, Glauber's salt, and niter cake. It occurs in nature as Glauber's salt, which is known mineralogically as mirabilite, and as the anhydrous sulphate , thenardite, and it is a constituent of a num- ber of compound minerals, such as glauberite, vanthoffite, bloedite, and aphthitalite, and of the waters of many natural brines and playa areas where rainfall is scanty SODIUM sulphate is termed white alkali in contras^ to SODIUM carbonate.

7 Which is termed black alkali on account of its corrosive action on In the form of salt cake SODIUM sulphate is used in making wood pulp by the sulphate process, plate glass, window glass, and bottles, water glass, SODIUM sulphide, and precipitated barium sul- phate (blanc fixe). One of the early patents for ore flotation by the Delprat process was based on the use of acid and salt 's salt is used in dyeing, in tanning, and medicinally, espe- cially for the treatment of cattle as a constituent of so-called stock SODIUM sulphate : ITS SOURCES AND Niter cake is used as a substitute for sulphuric acid for many pur- poses, as in metal pickling, in absorbing ammonia, and in making details about the use of SODIUM sulphate in making glass, SODIUM sulphide, and wood pulp are given on pages OF PRINCIPAL COMPOUNDS OF SODIUMSULPHATES*Mirabilite.

8 Hydrated SODIUM sulphate , Na2S04 .10H20. Com- position, SODIUM sulphate (Na2S04), per cent; water (H20), per cent. Crystals monoclinic: Axial ratio, a:6:c = :l: L2372;|3 = 72 0 15'=(001) A (100), (100) A (110) =46 44', (001) A (101) =57 55', (001) A (Oil) =49 41'; common forms, a (100), & (010), c (001), ra (110), r (TOl); habit, long prismatic, almost needle- like, elongated parallel to & axis, also short, stout prismatic, elongated parallel to vertical axis c (somewhat resembling borax). Cleavage, aFIGURE 1. Hardness, Specific gravity, Colorless trans- parent to white opaque.

9 Luster, vitreous. Indices of refraction: a = ; |8 = ; 7 = Optically negative. Axial plane and acute bisectrix normal to 6 (010). Axial angle very large, cross dis- persion very strong, no extinction in white light. Taste slightly bitter. Very readily soluble in long prismatic crystals of mirabilite shown in Figure 1 are very characteristic; they readily effloresce in dry air, losing their water and falling to a white Anhydrous SODIUM sulphate , Na2S04 . Composition, SODIUM oxide (Na20), per cent; sulphur trioxide (S08), per cent.

10 Crystals orthorhombic: Axial ratio, a : & : c = : 1 : ; (100) A (110) =30 52', (001) A (101) = 64 30', (001) A) (Oil) =51 24'; common forms, c (001), a (110), m (110), o (111), '(106). Twinning planes (101) and (Oil); habit, in pyramidal and tabular crystals, commonly in crossed twins. Cleavage, basal distinct. Hardness, Specific gravity, Color, white, gray, or brownish. Transparent to translucent. Indices of re- fraction: a = ; (3 = ; 7 = Optically positive. Axiali Prepared with the assistance of W. T Schaller, of the United States Geological Survey.