Editing Natron (section)

== Importance in antiquity ==
[[File:Egyptian - "Malqata Kateriskos" Vessel - Walters 4732 - Profile.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Egyptian faience|faience]] vase fabricated in part from natron, dating to the [[New Kingdom of Egypt]] (c. 1450–1350 BC)]]

Historical natron was harvested directly as a salt mixture from dry lake beds in [[ancient Egypt]], and has been used for thousands of years as a cleaning product for both the home and body. Blended with oil, it was an early form of [[soap]]. It [[Water softening|softens water]] while removing oil and grease. Undiluted, natron was a cleanser for the teeth and an early [[mouthwash]]. The mineral was mixed into early [[antiseptics]] for wounds and minor cuts. Natron can be used to dry and preserve fish and meat. It was also an ancient household insecticide, and was used for making leather as well as a bleach for clothing.

The mineral was used during [[mummy|mummification]] ceremonies in ancient Egypt because it absorbs water and behaves as a drying agent. Moreover, when exposed to moisture, the [[carbonate]] in natron increases [[pH]] (raises [[alkalinity]]), which creates a hostile environment for bacteria. In some cultures, natron was thought to enhance spiritual safety for both the living and the dead. Natron was added to [[castor oil]] to make a [[smokeless fuel]], which allowed Egyptian artisans to paint elaborate artworks inside ancient tombs without staining them with soot.

The Pyramid Texts describe how natron pellets were used as funerary offerings in the rites for the deceased pharaoh, "N". The ceremony required two kinds of natron, one sourced from northern (Lower) and one from southern (Upper) Egypt.

{{poemquote|''Smin'', ''smin'' opens thy mouth. One pellet of natron.
O N., thou shalt taste its taste in front of the ''sḥ-ntr-''chapels. One pellet of natron.
That which Horus spits out is ''smin''. One pellet of natron.
That which Set spits out is ''smin''. One pellet of natron.
That which the two harmonious gods (spit out) is ''smin''. One pellet of natron.
To say four times: Thou hast purified thyself with natron, together with Horus (and) the Followers of Horus. Five pellets of natron from Nekheb, Upper Egypt.
Thou purifiest (thyself); Horus purifies (himself). One pellet of natron. Thou purifiest (thyself); Set purifies (himself). One pellet of natron.
Thou purifiest (thyself); Thot purifies (himself). One pellet of natron. Thou purifiest (thyself); the god purifies (himself). One pellet of natron.
Thou also purifiest (thyself)—thou who art among them. One pellet of natron.
Thy mouth is the mouth of a sucking calf on the day of his birth.
Five pellets of natron of the North, Wadi Natrûn (''št-p.t'')<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/pyt/pyt05.htm www.sacred-texts.com/egy/pyt/pyt05.htm ''The Pyramid Texts''], Utterance 35. Translated by Samuel A. B. Mercer, 1952. Accessed 9 April 2020.</ref>}}

Natron is an ingredient for making a distinct color called ''[[Egyptian blue]]'', and also as the [[flux (metallurgy)|flux]] in [[Egyptian faience]]. It was used along with [[sand]] and [[lime (mineral)|lime]] in ceramic and glass-making by the Romans and others at least until AD 640. The mineral was also employed as a flux to solder precious metals together.

=== Decline in use ===
Most of natron's uses both in the home and by industry were gradually replaced with closely related sodium compounds and minerals. Natron's [[detergent]] properties are now commercially supplied by [[soda ash]] (pure sodium carbonate), the mixture's chief compound ingredient, along with other chemicals. Soda ash also replaced natron in [[Ancient glass trade|glass-making]]. Some of its ancient household roles are also now filled by ordinary [[baking soda]], which is [[sodium bicarbonate]], natron's other key ingredient.