- Thenardite
Thenardite is an anhydrous
sodium sulfate mineral, Na2SO4 which occurs in aridevaporite environments. It also occurs in drycave s and old mine workings as an efflorescence and as a crusty deposit aroundfumarole s. It occurs involcanic caves onMt. Etna ,Italy and was named after the French chemist, Louis Jacques Thenard (1777-1826).Thenardite crystallizes in the
orthorhombic system and often forms yellowish, reddish to grey white prismatic crystals although usually in massive crust deposits. It has a hardness of 2.5 - 3 and aspecific gravity of 2.7. Thenardite isfluorescent , white in shortwave and yellow-green in longwave UV radiation.Thenardite samples will gradually absorb water and convert to the mineral
mirabilite , Na2SO4·10H2O.References
* [http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/sulfates/thenardi/thenardi.htm Mineral galleries]
* [http://webmineral.com/data/Thenardite.shtml Webmineral]
* [http://www.mindat.org/min-3935.html Mindat]
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