Natron

Natron is a white, crystalline hygroscopicmineral salt, primarily a mixture of sodium bicarbonate(common baking soda) and sodium carbonate(soda ash) with small amounts of sodium chloride(table salt) and sodium sulfate. Natron is somewhat antisepticand is also an exfoliantand a desiccant.

In ancient Egypt, natron was minedas a powdery solid from dry lakebeds near the NileRiver and put to a wide variety of uses, including mummification(drying out a corpse to prevent tissue decay). Because it has strong grease-cutting properties, natron has also been associated with soapproduction.

The chemical symbol for sodium, Na, is derived from the Romanterm natrium. Natron is sometimes referred to as "impure salt".

Natron is used to make Bavarian pretzels. The dough is dipped into a natron solution to give it its brown color and distinctive flavor when baked.

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natron Wikipedia article Natron.