Sodium sulfate

Sodium sulfate is an inorganic salt composed of sodium ions and sulfate ions, with the formula Na₂SO₄. It occurs as anhydrous crystals and as hydrated minerals, including mirabilite.

Laundry detergent: A cleaning formulation designed to remove soil from textiles during washing. Sodium sulfate serves as a filler and processing aid in some powdered formulations.
Mirabilite: The mineral form of sodium sulfate decahydrate, Na₂SO₄·10H₂O. It is the hydrated crystalline form most associated with sodium sulfate deposits.
Glauber's salt: The common name for sodium sulfate decahydrate, historically used as a saline laxative. Its historical preparation helped establish the compound's early chemical identity.
Sodium sulfite: An inorganic sodium salt containing sulfite ions, with the formula Na₂SO₃. Its sulfur is in a lower oxidation state, so it has different chemistry from sulfate.
Glassmaking: The manufacture of glass by melting silica with other ingredients. Sodium sulfate acts as a fining agent that helps remove bubbles from molten glass.
Thenardite: The anhydrous mineral form of sodium sulfate, Na₂SO₄. It is the water-free crystalline counterpart to hydrated sodium sulfate minerals.
Evaporite: A sedimentary deposit formed when mineral-rich water evaporates and leaves dissolved salts behind. Natural sodium sulfate deposits form in evaporative settings.
Sodium bisulfate: An acidic sodium salt with the formula NaHSO₄. It contains hydrogen sulfate and is acidic, unlike neutral sodium sulfate.
Kraft process: A chemical pulping method that separates cellulose fibers from wood using alkaline liquor. Sodium sulfate is converted to sodium sulfide in the recovery cycle of kraft pulping.
Sodium sulfate decahydrate: A crystalline hydrate of sodium sulfate containing ten water molecules per formula unit. Its reversible formation underlies sodium sulfate's unusual temperature-dependent solubility behavior.

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