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.

Name Pronunciation:

Nitratine + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 15332

Nitratite

Nitronatrite

PDF 36-1474

Soda Niter

Nitratine Image

Images:

Iquiqueite Nitratine

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 Scalenohedral H-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),

Physical Properties of Nitratine

Cleavage:

{???} Perfect

Color:

Colorless, White, Gray, Yellowish, Brownish.

Density:

2.24 - 2.29, Average = 2.26

Diaphaneity:

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:

Non-fluorescent.

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
Ncalc = 1.5 - 1.51

Optical Data:

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

Calculated Properties of Nitratine

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.23 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Nitratine =2.26 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.16
Boson Index = 0.84

Photoelectric:

PE_Nitratine= 0.67 barns/electron
U=PE_Nitratine x rElectron Density= 1.49 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Nitratine is Not Radioactive

Nitratine Classification

Dana Class:

18.01.01.01 (18)Simple Nitrates

(18.01)where A xNO3 ï¿½ x(H2O), x can equal zero

(18.01.01)Dana Group

18.01.01.01 Nitratine NaNO3 R 3c 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

05.NA.05 05 - CARBONATES (NITRATES)

05.N - NITRATES

05.NA -Without OH or H2O

05.NA.05 Nitratine NaNO3 R 3c 3 2/m

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 - GeoScienceWorld
7 - Google Images
8 - Google Scholar
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
11 - MinDAT
12 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
13 - Online Mineral Museum
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: 18.01.01.01 Strunz No: 05.NA.05
Locality:

Notes:

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