Na2Si2O5
sodium disilicate · water glass, sodium silicate
Sodium disilicate is a stable, insulating inorganic compound widely utilized as a chemical building block and industrial flux.
About sodium disilicate
Sodium disilicate is a robust, thermodynamically stable compound that sits firmly on the convex hull, indicating significant structural integrity. As a wide-band-gap insulator, it possesses electronic properties characteristic of stable silicate frameworks that resist electrical conduction.
This material is highly valued for its chemical stability and versatility in various manufacturing processes. Its ability to form stable glassy phases makes it a cornerstone in industrial chemistry, particularly where durable, inorganic binders or fluxes are required.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for sodium disilicate, 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.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for Na2Si2O5, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 4.47 | 0.0000 | -7.156 | 2.61 |
| Pna21 (No. 33) | orthorhombic | 4.46 | 0.0029 | -7.153 | 2.62 |
| Pbcn (No. 60) | orthorhombic | 4.43 | 0.0033 | -7.152 | 2.52 |
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 4.45 | 0.0044 | -7.151 | 2.47 |
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 4.45 | 0.0063 | -7.149 | 2.51 |
| Pca21 (No. 29) | orthorhombic | 4.43 | 0.0242 | -7.131 | 2.65 |
| I41/a (No. 88) | tetragonal | 3.89 | 0.0655 | -7.090 | 2.19 |
| No. 0 | unknown | — | — | — | 0.64 |
| No. 0 | unknown | — | — | — | 0.64 |
| P21/c (No. 14) | — | — | — | — | — |
| P21/c (No. 14) | — | — | — | — | — |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Na2Si2O5.
Applications
Where sodium disilicate is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about sodium disilicate, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Na2Si2O5?
Sodium disilicate is a stable, insulating inorganic compound widely utilized as a chemical building block and industrial flux.
What is Na2Si2O5 used for?
What is the band gap of Na2Si2O5?
Is Na2Si2O5 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Na2Si2O5 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of Na2Si2O5?
What is the density of Na2Si2O5?
How many polymorphs of Na2Si2O5 are known?
How is Na2Si2O5 synthesized?
What elements does Na2Si2O5 contain?
Where does the data for Na2Si2O5 come from?
How It Compares
As a prominent silicate, sodium disilicate serves as a fundamental reference point for understanding the behavior of alkali-metal silicates. It represents a highly stable configuration within the broader landscape of sodium-silicon-oxygen compounds, providing a benchmark for structural reliability in its class.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
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