Na2SiO3
sodium metasilicate · water glass, liquid glass
Sodium metasilicate is a stable, insulating inorganic compound commonly used as a cleaning agent, adhesive, and industrial binder.
About sodium metasilicate
Sodium metasilicate is a thermodynamically stable inorganic compound that serves as a fundamental building block in silicate chemistry. Characterized by its wide-band-gap insulating electronic nature, it is highly valued for its chemical robustness and structural reliability in diverse environments.
This compound is extensively utilized across various industrial sectors due to its ability to act as a powerful cleaning agent and a durable binder. Its stability makes it a preferred choice for applications requiring long-term chemical resistance and structural integrity in both aqueous and solid-state formulations.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for sodium metasilicate, 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 Na2SiO3, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmc21 (No. 36) | orthorhombic | 3.87 | 0.0000 | -6.518 | 2.67 |
| Cmc21 (No. 36) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cmc21 (No. 36) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 2.61 |
| Cmc21 (No. 36) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 2.54 |
| Cmc21 (No. 36) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 2.68 |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Na2SiO3.
Applications
Where sodium metasilicate is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about sodium metasilicate, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Na2SiO3?
Sodium metasilicate is a stable, insulating inorganic compound commonly used as a cleaning agent, adhesive, and industrial binder.
What is Na2SiO3 used for?
What is the band gap of Na2SiO3?
Is Na2SiO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Na2SiO3 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of Na2SiO3?
What is the density of Na2SiO3?
How many polymorphs of Na2SiO3 are known?
How is Na2SiO3 synthesized?
What elements does Na2SiO3 contain?
Where does the data for Na2SiO3 come from?
How It Compares
As a primary silicate, sodium metasilicate serves as a benchmark for stability and reactivity within its chemical family, providing the foundational properties required for high-performance industrial applications.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
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