Na2SO3
Sodium sulfite · Sodium sulphite
Sodium sulfite is a white, water-soluble inorganic salt commonly used as a preservative and antioxidant in food processing and industrial water treatment.
About Sodium sulfite
Sodium sulfite is a versatile inorganic compound characterized by its wide-band-gap insulating electronic structure. It is recognized for its role as a chemical reducing agent, frequently utilized in water treatment and the pulp and paper industry to manage oxygen levels and bleaching processes.
While this compound is considered metastable, it remains a highly practical substance in various chemical synthesis pathways. Its ability to act as a scavenger for reactive species makes it a staple in laboratory and commercial settings where oxidative degradation must be strictly controlled.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Sodium sulfite, 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.
Applications
Where Sodium sulfite is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sodium sulfite, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Na2SO3?
Sodium sulfite is a white, water-soluble inorganic salt commonly used as a preservative and antioxidant in food processing and industrial water treatment.
What is Na2SO3 used for?
What is the band gap of Na2SO3?
Is Na2SO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Na2SO3 thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of Na2SO3 are known?
What elements does Na2SO3 contain?
Where does the data for Na2SO3 come from?
How It Compares
As a standalone representative of its chemical class, sodium sulfite serves as a primary benchmark for sulfite-based chemistry, demonstrating the essential reactivity profile required for effective oxygen scavenging and industrial bleaching applications.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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