B4Na2O7
Sodium tetraborate · Borax
Sodium tetraborate is a stable, insulating inorganic compound widely used as a fluxing agent and chemical precursor in industrial manufacturing.
About Sodium tetraborate
Sodium tetraborate is a thermodynamically stable oxide compound that functions as a wide-gap insulator. Its robust structural framework makes it a reliable component in chemical synthesis and materials engineering, where its insulating properties and chemical stability are highly valued. As a key borate, this compound plays a critical role in industrial processes requiring stable, non-conductive materials. It is frequently employed in the manufacturing of specialty glasses and as a foundational agent in various metallurgical and cleaning applications.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Sodium tetraborate, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of B4Na2O7. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for B4Na2O7, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P-1 (No. 2) | triclinic | 4.77 | 0.0000 | -7.667 | 2.30 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | triclinic | 4.85 | 0.0024 | -7.664 | 2.57 |
| P3221 (No. 154) | trigonal | 5.42 | 0.0187 | -7.648 | 2.68 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| No. 0 | unknown | — | — | — | 1.27 |
| No. 0 | unknown | — | — | — | 1.13 |
Applications
Where Sodium tetraborate is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sodium tetraborate, answered from cross-validated data.
What is B4Na2O7?
Sodium tetraborate is a stable, insulating inorganic compound widely used as a fluxing agent and chemical precursor in industrial manufacturing.
What is B4Na2O7 used for?
What is the band gap of B4Na2O7?
Is B4Na2O7 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is B4Na2O7 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of B4Na2O7?
What is the density of B4Na2O7?
How many polymorphs of B4Na2O7 are known?
What elements does B4Na2O7 contain?
Where does the data for B4Na2O7 come from?
How It Compares
As a prominent member of the borate family, this compound is recognized for its exceptional thermodynamic stability, which ensures its reliability across a wide range of industrial applications compared to less stable borate phases.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- alexandria — Data from alexandria.
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).
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