Nitron

Nitron is an historical term used in mineralogy and early chemistry to refer to certain nitrate-bearing minerals, most commonly natron, and more generally to nitrate salts such as sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate. In traditional texts, nitron often appears as a general label for substances derived from or associated with nitrates or soda-rich evaporites.

Natron, the mineral most closely linked to the term, is a mixture including hydrated sodium carbonate (soda ash) with varying amounts of sodium bicarbonate, chloride, and minor nitrate impurities. It occurs naturally in arid environments and has been exploited since antiquity. The most famous natron deposits are in the Wadi El Natrun region of Egypt, where the mineral was used in ancient Egyptian mummification, as well as in cleaning and drying applications.

Etymology traces nitron to Latin nitrum and Greek nitron, with the modern vocabulary distinguishing natron as the mineral, and nitrate (NO3−) salts as chemical compounds. The usage of nitron as a blanket term has largely fallen out of favor in favor of these more precise terms. In contemporary chemistry, related but distinct terms include natron for the mineral, nitrate for salts such as sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate, and nitronium for the reactive NO2+ ion used in electrophilic nitration.

Modern interest in the term nitron is primarily historical or textual, appearing in historical documents, translations, and discussions of ancient manufacturing and alchemical practices. Safety concerns for nitrates and nitrites center on their strong oxidizing properties and potential health and environmental effects. See also natron, nitrate, nitrite, and nitronium.