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Na element7/3/2023 ![]() A few days later, the chemist electrolyzed very dry, molten caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) and discovered sodium.Īccording to Davy’s observations, it was “exceedingly bendable” and “far softer than any of the common metallic compounds” known until that time. Potassium was the first metal to be isolated using electrolysis when an electric current was passed through caustic potash (potassium hydroxide). Sir Humphry Davy, a renowned British chemist, discovered the answer in 1807 while experimenting with molten salts. Many early chemists argued and attempted to study the chemical composition of salt and soda for a long period. Late in its history, Romans referred to it as “atrium” Latin. Rather than pure soda, they employed a product called natron, which was mostly made up of soda and was mined from Natron Valley. The ancient Egyptians utilized it in the production of glass to preserve mummies as long back as 1370 BC when it was widely used. In addition to soda, ancient civilizations had a working knowledge of sodium carbonate. Only at extremely high temperatures does sodium react with nitrogen, yet it does so to generate sodium amide when combined with ammonia in the presence of nitrogen. When exposed to sunlight, metallic sodium loses its silvery luster and develops an opaque, gray-colored layer of sodium oxide on top. When sodium interacts rapidly with water, snow, or ice, sodium hydroxide is created. ![]() For commercial purposes, sodium has the lowest melting point of all the alkaline metals and is the most reactive. As a salt, it’s also found in fertilizer. We get sodium chloride when sodium combines with chlorine (NaCl). The most well-known use of this element is one of the two components of table salt. It cannot be maintained in an inert atmosphere and contact with water and other substances with which sodium reacts should be avoided.With the chemical symbol Na and atomic number 11, sodium is a soft, low melting point, silvery-white alkali metal or chemical element in Group 1 or IA of the periodic chart. Sodium metal should be handled with great care. Thirteen isotopes of sodium are recognized. The importance of common salt to animal nutrition has been recognized since prehistoric times.Īmong the many compounds that are of the greatest industrial importance are common salt (NaCl), soda ash (Na 2CO 3), baking soda (NaHCO 3), caustic soda (NaOH), Chile saltpeter (NaNO 3), di- and tri-sodium phosphates, sodium thiosulfate (hypo, Na 2S 2O 3 Soap is generally a sodium salt of certain fatty acids. Sodium compounds are important to the paper, glass, soap, textile, petroleum, chemical, and metal industries. ![]() The metal may be used to improve the structure of certain alloys, descale metal, and purify molten metals.Īn alloy of sodium with potassium, NaK, is an important heat transfer agent. Metallic sodium is vital in the manufacture of esters and in the preparation of organic compounds. It normally does not ignite in air at temperatures below 115☌. It may or may not ignite spontaneously on water, depending on the amount of oxide and metal exposed to the water. Decomposition in water results in the evolution of hydrogen and the formation of the hydroxide. Sodium is a soft, bright, silvery metal which floats on water. Sodium, like every reactive element, is never found free in nature. The most common compound is sodium chloride (table salt), but it occurs in many other minerals, such as soda niter, cryolite, amphibole, zeolite, etc. ![]() This method is much cheaper than that of electrolyzing sodium hydroxide, as was used several years ago. It is now obtained commercially by the electrolysis of absolutely dry fused sodium chloride. Sodium is the fourth most abundant element on earth, comprising about 2.6% of the earth's crust it is the most abundant of the alkali group of metals. The D lines of sodium are among the most prominent in the solar spectrum. Sodium is present in fair abundance in the sun and stars. Long recognized in compounds, sodium was first isolated by Davy in 1807 by electrolysis of caustic soda. Sodium is a soft, bright, silvery metal which floats on water.įrom the English word, soda Medieval Latin, sodanum: a headache remedy. ![]()
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