| "text": "Sodium, Chemical Element\n- reaction, water, uses, elements, examples, metal, gas, number\nToggle navigation\nChemistry\nP-T\nSodium, Chemical Element\nSODIUM\nPhoto by: Jiri Hera\nOverview\nMost people have never seen sodium metal. But it is almost impossible not\nto see many compounds of sodium every day. Ordinary table salt, baking\nsoda, baking powder, household lye (such as Drano), soaps and detergents,\naspirin and other drugs, and countless other consumer products are sodium\nproducts.\nSodium is a member of the alkali metals family. The alkali family consists\nof elements in Group 1 (IA) of the periodic table. The periodic table is a\nchart that shows how chemical elements are related to one another. Other\nGroup 1 (IA) elements are\nlithium, potassium, rubidium, cesium,\nand\nfrancium.\nThe members of the alkali metals family are among the most active\nelements.\nSYMBOL\nNa\nATOMIC NUMBER\n11\nATOMIC MASS\n22.98977\nFAMILY\nGroup 1 (IA)\nAlkali metal\nPRONUNCIATION\nSO-dee-um\nCompounds of sodium have been known, of course, throughout human history.\nBut sodium metal was not prepared until 1807. The reason is that sodium\nattaches itself very strongly to other elements. Its compounds are very\ndifficult to break apart. It was not until 1807 that English chemist Sir\nHumphry Davy (1778-1829) found a way to extract sodium from its compounds.\n(See sidebar on Davy in the\ncalcium\nentry in Volume 1.)\nSodium metal itself has relatively few uses. It reacts with other\nsubstances easily, sometimes explosively. However, many sodium compounds\nhave many uses in industry, medicine, and everyday life.\nDiscovery and naming\nSodium carbonate, or soda (Na\n2\nCO\n3\n), was probably the sodium compound best known to ancient peoples. It is\nthe most common ore of sodium found in nature.\nThis explains why glass was one of the first chemical products made by\nhumans. Glass is made by heating sodium carbonate and\ncalcium\noxide (lime) together. When the mixture cools, it forms the hard, clear,\ntransparent material called glass. Glass was being manufactured on a large\nscale in Egypt as early as 1370\nB.C.\nThe Egyptians called soda\nnatron.\nMuch later, the Romans used a similar name for the compound,\nnatrium.\nThese names explain the chemical symbol used for sodium, Na.\nThe name sodium probably originated from an Arabic word\nsuda,\nmeaning \"headache.\" Soda was sometimes used as a cure for\nheadaches among early peoples. The word\nsuda\nalso carried over into Latin to become\nsodanum,\nwhich also means \"headache remedy.\"\nIn the early 1800s, Davy found a way to extract a number of active\nelements from their compounds. Sodium was one of these elements.\nDavy's method involved melting a compound of the active element,\nthen passing an electric current through the molten (melted) compound.\nDavy used sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to make sodium.\nPhysical properties\nSodium is a silvery-white metal with a waxy appearance. It is soft enough\nto be cut with a knife. The surface is bright and shiny when first cut,\nbut quickly becomes dull as sodium reacts with\noxygen\nin the air. A thin film of sodium oxide (Na\n2\nO) forms that hides the metal itself.\nSodium's melting point is 97.82°C (208.1°F) and its\nboiling point is 881.4°C (1,618°F). Its density is slightly less\nthan that of water, 0.968 grams per cubic centimeter. Sodium is a good\nconductor of electricity.\nChemical properties\nSodium is a very active element. It combines with oxygen at room\ntemperature. When heated, it combines very rapidly, burning with a\nbrilliant golden-yellow flame.\nSodium also reacts violently with water. (See accompanying sidebar.) It is\nso active that it is normally stored under a liquid with which it does not\nreact. Kerosene or naphtha are liquids commonly used for this purpose.\nSodium also reacts with most other elements and with many compounds. It\nreacts with acids to produce hydrogen gas. It also dissolves in\nmercury\nto form a sodium amalgam. An amalgam is an alloy of mercury and at least\none other metal.\nOccurrence in nature\nSodium never occurs as a free element in nature. It is much too active. It\nalways occurs as part of a compound. The most common source of sodium in\nthe Earth is halite. Halite is nearly pure sodium chloride (NaCl). It is\nalso called rock salt.\nHalite can be found in underground deposits similar to coal mines. Those\ndeposits were formed when ancient oceans evaporated (dried up), leaving\nsodium chloride behind. Earth movements eventually buried those deposits.\nNow they can be mined to remove the sodium chloride.\nSodium and water aren't friends\nO\nil and vinegar don't mix. But sodium and water\nreally\ndon't mix! Sodium reacts violently with water. The effect is\nfascinating.\nWhen sodium metal is first placed into water, it floats. But it\nimmediately begins to react with water, releasing hydrogen gas:\nA great deal of energy is released in this reaction. It is enough to set\nfire to the hydrogen gas. The sodium metal reacts with water. So much\nheat is released that the sodium melts. It turns into a tiny ball of\nliquid sodium. At the same time, the sodium releases hydrogen from\nwater. The hydrogen gas catches fire and causes the ball of sodium to go\nsizzling across the surface of the water.\nSodium reacts violently with water.\nSodium chloride can also be obtained from seawater and brine. Brine is\nsimilar to seawater, but it contains more dissolved salt. Removing sodium\nchloride from seawater or brine is easy.\nSodium stored in oil to prevent its reaction with the surrounding\nair.\nAll that is needed is to let the water evaporate. The sodium chloride is\nleft behind. It only needs to be separated from other chemicals that were\nalso dissolved in the water.\nIsotopes\nThere is only one naturally occurring isotope of sodium, sodium-23.\nIsotopes are two or more forms of an element. Isotopes differ from each\nother according to their mass number. The number written to the right of\nthe element's name is the mass number. The mass number represents\nthe number of protons plus neutrons in the nucleus of an atom of the\nelement. The number of protons determines the element, but the number of\nneutrons in the atom of any one element can vary. Each variation is an\nisotope.\nSix radioactive isotopes of sodium are known also. A radioactive isotope\nis one that breaks apart and gives off some form of radiation. Radioactive\nisotopes are produced when very small particles are fired at atoms. These\nparticles stick in the atoms and make them radioactive.\nTwo radioactive isotopes of sodium—sodium-22 and\nsodium-24—are used in medicine and other applications. They can be\nused as tracers to follow sodium in a person's body. A tracer is a\nradioactive isotope whose presence in a system can easily be detected. The\nisotope is injected into the system at some point. Inside the system, the\nisotope gives off radiation. That radiation can be followed by means of\ndetectors placed around the system.\nSodium-24 also has non-medical applications. For example, it is used to\ntest for leaks in oil pipe lines. These pipe lines are usually buried\nunderground. It may be difficult to tell when a pipe begins to leak. One\nway to locate a leak is to add some sodium-24 to the oil. If oil leaks out\nof the pipe, so does the sodium-24. The leaking oil may not be visible,\nbut the leaking sodium-24 is easily detected. It is located by instruments\nthat are designed to detect radiation.\nExtraction\nOne way to obtain pure sodium metal is by passing an electric current\nthrough molten (melted) sodium chloride:\nThis method is similar to the one used by Humphry Davy in 1808.\nBut there is not much demand for sodium metal. Sodium compounds are much\nmore common. A second and similar method is used to make a compound known\nas sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The sodium hydroxide is then used as a\nstarting point for making other sodium compounds.\nThe method for making sodium hydroxide is called the chloralkali process.\nThe name comes from the fact that both chlorine and an alkali metal\n(sodium) are produced at the same time. In this case, an electric current\nis passed through a solution of sodium chloride dissolved in water:\nThree useful products are obtained from this reaction: chlorine gas (Cl\n2\n), hydrogen gas (H\n2\n), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The chlor-alkali process is one of the\nmost important industrial processes used today.\nUses\nSodium metal has a relatively small, but important, number of uses. For\nexample, it is sometimes used as a heat exchange medium in nuclear power\nplants. A heat exchange medium is a material that picks up heat in one\nplace and carries it to another place. Water is a common heat exchange\nmedium. Some home furnaces burn oil or gas to heat water that travels\nthrough pipes and radiators in the house. The water gives off its heat\nthrough the radiators.\nSodium does a similar job in nuclear power plants. Heat is produced by\nnuclear fission reactions at the core (center) of a nuclear reactor. In a\nnuclear fission reaction, large atoms break down to form smaller atoms. As\nthey do so, large amounts of heat energy are given off.\nLiquid sodium is sealed into pipes that surround the core of the reactor.\nAs heat is generated, it is absorbed (taken up) by the sodium. The sodium\nis then forced through the pipes into a nearby room. In that room, the\nsodium pipes are wrapped around pipes filled with water. The heat in the\nsodium converts the water to steam. The steam is used to operate devices\nthat generate electricity.\nAnother use of sodium metal is in producing other metals. For example,\nsodium can be combined with\ntitanium\ntetrachloride (TiCl\n4\n) to make titanium metal:\nSodium is also used to make artificial rubber. (Real rubber is made from\nthe collected sap of rubber trees and is expensive.) The starting material\nfor artificial rubber is usually a small molecule. The small molecule\nreacts with itself over and over again. It becomes a much larger molecule\ncalled a polymer. The polymer is the material that makes up the artificial\nrubber. Sodium metal is used as a catalyst in this reaction. A catalyst is\na substance used to speed up or slow down a chemical reaction without\nundergoing any change itself.\nThe combination of an electric current and sodium vapor produces a\nyellowish glow in street lamps.\nSodium is frequently used in making light bulbs. Sodium is first converted\nto a vapor (gas) and injected into a glass bulb. An electric current is\npassed through a wire or filament in the gas-filled bulb. The electric\ncurrent causes the sodium vapor to\ngive off a yellowish glow. Many street lamps today are sodium vapor\nlamps. Their advantage is that they do not produce as much glare as do\nordinary lights.\nCompounds\nAlmost all sodium compounds dissolve in water. When it rains, sodium\ncompounds dissolve and are carried into the ground. Eventually, the\ncompounds flow into rivers and then into the oceans. The ocean is salty\npartly because sodium compounds have been dissolved for many centuries.\nBut that means that finding sodium compounds on land is somewhat unusual.\nThey tend to be more common in desert areas because deserts experience low\nrainfall. So sodium compounds are less likely to be washed away. Huge beds\nof salt and sodium carbonate are sometimes found in desert areas.\nDozens of sodium compounds are used today in all fields. Some of the most\nimportant of these compounds are discussed below.\nSodium chloride (NaCl).\nThe most familiar use of sodium chloride is as a flavor enhancer in food.\nIt is best known as table salt. Large amounts of sodium chloride are also\nadded to prepared foods, such as canned, bottled, frozen, and dried foods.\nOne purpose of adding sodium chloride to these foods is to improve their\nflavors. But another purpose is to prevent them from decaying. Sodium\nchloride kills bacteria in foods. It has been used for hundreds of years\nas a food preservative. The \"pickling\" or\n\"salting\" of a food, for example, means the adding of salt\nto that food to keep it from spoiling.\nThis process is one reason people eat so much salt in their foods today.\nMost people eat a lot of prepared foods. Those prepared foods contain a\nlot of salt. People are often not aware of all the salt they take in when\nthey eat such foods.\nSodium chloride is also the starting point for making other sodium\ncompounds. In fact, this application is probably the number one use for\nsodium chloride.\nAlmost all sodium compounds dissolve in water. They tend to be more\ncommon in desert areas because deserts experience low rainfall.\nSodium carbonate (Na2CO3).\nSodium carbonate is also known by other names, such as soda, soda ash,\nsal soda, and washing soda. It is also used as the starting point in\nmaking other sodium compounds. A growing use is in water purification\nSodium chloride ( table salt) crystals.\nand sewage treatment systems. The sodium carbonate is mixed with other\nchemicals that react to form a thick, gooey solid. The solid sinks to the\nbottom of a tank, carrying impurities present in water or waste water.\nSodium carbonate is also used to make a very large number of commercial\nproducts, such as glass, pulp and paper, soaps and detergents, and\ntextiles.\nSodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).\nWhen sodium bicarbonate is dissolved in water, it produces a fizzing\nreaction. That reaction\ncan be used in many household situations. For example, the fizzy gas can\nhelp bread batter rise. The \"rising\" of the batter is caused\nby bubbles released when sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is added to milk\nin the batter. Certain kinds of medications, such as Alka-Seltzer, also\ninclude sodium bicarbonate. The fizzing is one of the effects of taking\nAlka-Seltzer that helps settle the stomach. Sodium bicarbonate is also\nused in mouthwashes, cleaning solutions, wool and silk cleaning systems,\nfire extinguishers, and mold preventatives in the timber industry.\nExamples of lesser known compounds are as follows:\nsodium alginate (NaC\n6\nH\n7\nO\n6\n): a thickening agent in ice cream and other prepared foods; manufacture\nof cement; coatings for paper products; water-based paints\nsodium bifluoride (KHF\n2\n): preservative for animal specimens; antiseptic (germ-killer); etching\nof glass; manufacture of tin plate\nsodium diuranate, or\n\"uranium\nyellow\" (Na\n2\nU\n2\nO\n7\n): used to produce yellowish-orange glazes for ceramics\nsodium fluorosilicate (Na\n2\nSiF\n6\n): used to make \"fluoride\" toothpastes that protect\nagainst cavities; insecticides and rodenticides (rat-killers); moth\nrepellent; wood and leather preservative; manufacture of laundry soaps\nand \"pearl-like\" enamels\nsodium metaborate (NaBO\n2\n): herbicide\nsodium paraperiodate (Na\n3\nH\n2\nIO\n6\n): helps tobacco to bum more completely and cleanly; helps paper\nproducts retain strength when wet\nsodium stearate (NaOOCC\n17\nH\n35\n): keeps plastics from breaking down; waterproofing agent; additive in\ntoothpastes and cosmetics\nsodium\nzirconium\nglycolate (NaZrH\n3\n(H\n2\nCOCOO)\n3\n): deodorant; germicide (germ-killer); fire-retardant\nA common compound of sodium, sodium bicarbonate, produces a fizzing\nreaction. It is an ingredient in such medications as Alka-Seltzer.\nHealth effects\nSodium has a number of important functions in plants, humans, and animals.\nIn humans, for example, sodium is involved in controlling the amount of\nfluid present in cells. An excess or lack of sodium can cause cells to\ngain or lose water. Either of these changes can prevent cells from\ncarrying out their normal functions.\nDietary concerns\nP\neople sometimes talk about the amount of \"sodium\" in their\ndiet. Or they may refer to the amount of \"salt\" in their\ndiet. The two terms are similar, but not exactly alike. In the body,\nsodium occurs most often as sodium chloride. A common name for sodium\nchloride is salt.\nThe Committee on Dietary Allowance of the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board\nrecommends that a person take in about 1,100 to 3,300 milligrams of\nsodium per day. The human body actually needs only about 500 milligrams\nof sodium. Studies show that the average American takes in about 2,300\nto 6,900 milligrams of sodium per day.\nThis high level of sodium intake troubles many health experts. Too much\nsodium can affect the body's ability to digest fats, for example.\nThe most serious problem, however, may be hypertension. Hypertension is\nanother name for \"high blood pressure.\" A person with high\nblood pressure may be at risk for stroke, heart attack, or other serious\nhealth problems.\nSodium is also involved in sending nerve messages to and from cells. These\nimpulses control the way muscles move. Again, an excess or lack of sodium\ncan result in abnormal nerve and muscle behavior. Sodium is also needed to\ncontrol the digestion of foods in the stomach and intestines.\nAlso read article about Sodium from Wikipedia\nUser Contributions:\n1 Ashely Ham⚠cool, that was very helpful to me with a project I had on sodium. 2 Kara⚠Sodium bifluoride is (NaHF2) You have the formula for potassium bifluoride in its place. Other than that, extremely helpful! 3 Teya⚠How long does Na+ the (liquid form) burn for when being flame tested for the color which is yellow? Also why does it burn so long? 4 Arnold⚠Thanks.The information not only helped me with my project but also gave me additional information and knowledge on sodium chloride. 5 iyke⚠How long will you pass a current into sodium chloride to get sodium? 6 Hamza halal food⚠Can we wash our slaughter house floor and walls on sodium bicarbonate. Is it safe. 7 Liliana⚠It is a really complet and heplfull site. Specialy if you have a project for tomorrow and you dont have any info 8 Bianca Damian⚠Should Sodium Bicarbonate can be a source of electricity with the help of hot water?why? 9 Sodium Expert⚠How long does it take to get sodium from sodium chloride?\nUnderstand that first you need the sodium chloride to be molten which is 801 degrees C.\nYou will start making sodium metal quickly (which appears on the top of the salt bath and will burn) and you will make chlorine gas (green-yellow noxious and toxic gas).\nIf the chlorine and sodium are in close proximity, most of the material will recombine to make sodium chloride and heat.\nAt the melt point of sodium, you also have some severe corrosion issues; so your container needs to be ceramic or a high nickel alloy (and they too will corrode).\nFor that reason, and the chlorine gas, everything needs to be in a lab hood or some other ventilated system.\nTo drop the temperature, commercial manufacturers add calcium chloride to the molten salt mix to lower the melt point (freezing point depression).\nBut despite what any literature you read says, you WILL make calcium metal.\nCalcium metal burns at very high temperatures (it can burn through steel), but reacts much slower than sodium with water.\nCommercial manufacturers will filter the sodium to remove the calcium. 10 anna⚠Where did Humphry Davy discover sodium? Alot of websites I have looked at have not shown the correct answers. 11 Don Foti⚠Is it safe to cut sodium metal in air? At what humidity does sodium react with air? 12 Sodium Amateur⚠Where are the chemical properties? I would love to know them! :) 13 Emmanuel⚠This article was very helpful for my school project. 14 Epic⚠So guys, we did it, we reached a quarter of a million subscribers, 250,000 subscribers and still growing the fact that we've reached this number in such a short amount of time is just phenomenal, I'm-I'm just amazed. Thank you all so much for supporting this channel and helping it grow. I-I love you guys... You guys are just awesome.\nComment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:\nName:\nE-mail:\nShow my email publicly\nPublic Comment: (50-4000 characters)\n✍ Send comment\nSodium, Chemical Element\nforum\nSilver\nStrontium\nCopyright 2008 The Gale Group Inc. All rights reserved. • Terms & Privacy • Website © 2025 Advameg, Inc.",
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