nahcolite

nahcolite (NaHCO₃), colourless to white carbonate mineral, a naturally occurring sodium bicarbonate. (The name nahcolite is formed from the chemical formula, with the suffix -lite replacing the subscript numeral 3.) Its structure consists of planar chains of carbonate groups linked by hydrogen bonds; planes are linked together by sodium in sixfold coordination with oxygen. Nahcolite commonly forms by reaction of carbon dioxide with the mineral trona in evaporated lake basins. It is found in large quantities in the central salt body of Searles Lake, California, and as concentrations up to 5 feet (1.5 metres) thick in oil shale deposits in the Piceance Basin of the Green River Formation in Colorado, where it is commercially mined. It also has been mined in Botswana and Kenya, and there are sizable deposits in Uganda, Turkey, and Mexico. Nahcolite can be used in traditional applications of sodium bicarbonate—e.g., in baking soda and toothpaste. In addition, it can be converted to soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na₂CO₃) and used in glassmaking, chemical processes, and soaps and detergents.