Nitratine Mineral Data

Nitratine Mineral Data +

General Nitratine Information

Chemical Formula:

NaNO3

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 84.99 gm

Sodium 27.05 % Na 36.46 % Na₂O

Nitrogen 16.48 % N 63.54 % N₂O₅

Oxygen 56.47 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Na(NO₃)

Environment:

Residual water-soluble surface deposits in extremely arid deserts. Nitrates occur in clay rich caliche deposits replenished by occasional desert thunderstorms which fix N2 from the air.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1845

Locality:

Confidence Hills, southern Death Valley. Atacam desert, Chile. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after its composition of containing nitrates.

Synonym:

ICSD 15332

Nitratite

Nitronatrite

PDF 36-1474

Soda Niter

Nitratine Image

Images:

Nitratine Iquiqueite

Comments: Yellow iquiqueiite in clear, massive nitration.
Location: Salar de Miraje, Antofagasta, Chile. Scale: Picture size 5 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

Nitratine

Comments: Euhedral crystalline aggregate of nitratine.
Location: Taltal, Antofagasta, Chile. Scale: Picture size 5 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Nitratine Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:3.31932

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.07, c = 16.829, Z = 6; V = 374.63 Den(Calc)= 2.26

Crystal System:

Trigonal - Hexagonal ScalenohedralH-M Symbol (3 2/m) Space Group: R 3c

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.03(1), 2.311(0.25), 1.898(0.16),

Crystal Structure:

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Paul G L , Pryor A W , Acta Crystallographica, Section B , 28 (1972) p.2700-2702, The study of sodium nitrate by neutron diffraction, Sample: T = 20 C, Locality: synthetic

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Nitratine
[1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Physical Properties of Nitratine

Cleavage:

[???] Perfect

Color:

Colorless, White, Gray, Yellowish, Brownish.

Density:

2.24 - 2.29, Average = 2.26

Diaphaniety:

Transparent

Fracture:

Sectile - Curved shavings or scrapings produced by a knife blade, (e.g. graphite).

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Habit:

Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Hardness:

1.5-2 - Talc-Gypsum

Luminescence:

None.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Nitratine

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.093 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.091 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2028,KPDmeas= 0.2023,KC= 0.223

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.58-1.587, w=1.33-1.336, bire=0.2500-0.2510.

Calculated Properties of Nitratine

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.23 gm/cc
note: r_Nitratine=2.26 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.16445
Boson Index = 0.83555

Photoelectric:

PE_Nitratine= 0.67 barns/electron
U=PE_Nitratine x r_electron= 1.49 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Nitratine is Not Radioactive

Nitratine Classification

Dana Class:

18.1.1.1 (18)Simple Nitrates

(18.1)where A xNO3 · x(H2O), x can equal zero

(18.1.1)Dana Group

18.1.1.1 Nitratine NaNO3 R 3c 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

V/A.01-10 V - Nitrates, Carbonates and Borates

V/A - Nitrates [NO3]1-

V/A.01 - Nitronatrite - Nitrobarite series

V/A.01-10 Nitratine NaNO3 R 3c 3 2/m

V/A.01-20 Niter KNO3 Pmcn 2/m 2/m 2/m

V/A.01-25 Gwihabaite! (NH4,K)(NO3) Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

V/A.01-30 Nitrobarite Ba(NO3)2 P 2₁3 2 3

V/A.01-35 Chlorartinite! Mg2(CO3)Cl(OH)·3(H2O) R 3c (?) 3m

Other Nitratine Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Dana8)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Nitratine :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - EUROmin Project
5 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
6 - Google Images
7 - Google Scholar
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
10 - MinDAT
11 - MinMax(Deutsch)
12 - MinMax(English)
13 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
14 - QUT Mineral Atlas
15 - Ruff.Info
16 - WWW-MINCRYST

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Nitratine Specimen Label here :

Nitratine

NaNO3
Dana No: 18.1.1.1 Strunz No: V/A.01-10
Locality:

Notes: