Discovery
Sodium Chloride, or salt, has been known since prehistoric times but despite being the sixth most abundant element on the planet, Sodium is never found naturally occuring. Pure Sodium was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1807 though the electrolysis of Caustic Soda. Sodium's chemical symbol comes from the Latin name for sodium carbonate, Natrium but the name comes from the English 'soda'.
Characteristics
| Group | Period | Block | Number | Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | s | 11 | [Ne] 3s1 |
| Melting Point | Boiling Point | Density | Mass | Key Isotope |
| 97.794°C | 882.940°C | .97 g cm | 22.990 | 23Na |
Sodium is a soft, silvery-white metal that tarnishes within seconds of being exposed to air. Like all alkali metals, Sodium is highly reactive in water. It burns with a yellow flame.
Sodium has a supply risk of 4, and is produced mainly in China and India, with the USA folloing close behind.
| Atomic Radius | Electron Affinity | Covalent Radius | Electronegativity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.27 | 59.633 | 1.30 | 0.98 |
Uses
The most common use of Sodium is in Sodium Chloride, or table salt, used to flavour food and de-ice roads in winter. It's also used as a feedstock or fuel for reactions in the chemical industry.
Similaraly, liquid Sodium is used as a heat exchanger in some nuclear reactors and in the production of Titanium and various Sodium compounds but Sodium salts have more uses than the raw metal.
Next: Potassium ▶