Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na2CO3·10 H2O, a naturally occurring form of soda ash) and about 17% sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of household salt (sodium chloride) and sodium sulfate. Natron is white to colorless when pure, varying to gray or yellow with impurities. Natron deposits occur naturally as a part of saline lake beds in arid environments. Historically natron had many practical applications which still resonate in the wide modern use of its constituent mineral components. In mineralogy the term natron often means only the prevailing hydrated sodium carbonate found in the historical salt.
Etymology
The English word natron is a French cognate derived from the Spanish natrón through the Arabic natrun from Greek nitron which derived from the Ancient Egyptian word netjeri, stemming from Wadi El Natrun, Egypt. The modern chemical symbol for sodium, Na, is an abbreviation of that element's new Lati