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Formula: NaH(CO3) acid carbonate
Specific gravity: 2.21
Hardness: 2½
Streak: White
Colour: Colourless, white, grey, buff
Solubility: Readily soluble in water forming an alkaline solution that gives off carbon dioxide when heated.
Also soluble in glycerine.
Environments
Nahcolite is a lacustrine (lake) evaporite mineral.
In old Roman conduit at Naples, Italy, nahcolite occurs admixed with trona and
thermonatrite as an efflorescence.
nahcolite occurs as fibrous pseudomorphs
after gaylussite, and as alteration rims around
thermonatrite.
At Searles Lake, California, nahcolite occurs in thin beds associated with
gaylussite, thénardite,
burkeite, northupite,
borax and halite.
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