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10 Interesting Facts About Sodium

Sodium is a metal with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. Typically it is a soft, silvery-white, and very highly reactive metal. It is an alkali metal belonging to group one on the periodic table. Its stable isotope is ²³Na and this free metal does not occur in nature. It must be prepared from compounds. Interestingly enough, it is one of the only three metals that is light enough to float on water, the other two metals being lithium and potassium. Just like other metals, sodium has a single electron in its outermost shell hence causing it to readily bond with other atoms. Because of this, it is highly reactive such that it is never found alone in nature. So what are some of the interesting facts about sodium?

1. Sodium is a soft metal

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Scientifically speaking, sodium is a soft, silvery-white metal that oxidizes with air to form a grayish-white product known as sodium oxide. Because of this feature, it can typically be stored in oil or inert gas and hence become a very soft gas. So soft that it can be cut with a knife by hand. At room temperature, it can be soft enough to be cut with a butter knife.

2. Sodium reacts aggressively when in contact with water

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When it comes into contact with water, sodium reacts so aggressively. This is because it changes into sodium hydroxide and hydrogen is typically an exothermic reaction. That is a heat-generating reaction. Because of how highly flammable hydrogen is, it can spontaneously combust. That’s why it is important to be a bit more careful when handling it.

3. Sodium has been known and used since ancient times

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Sodium has been there since time immemorial and has been known to be used by ancient Egyptians. This goes to show that they aren’t really a new phenomenon. The ancient Egyptians for instance used to stuff mummies with material known as natron so that they could manage to dry them out and preserve the flesh. Hence, sodium was a pretty common metal at the time and it was an important aspect of their culture. Also, salt, which is scientifically known as sodium chloride, was in use way before the beginning of recorded history, beginning around 6000 B.C. Additionally, sodium metal was isolated for the first time in 1807 by Sir Humphry Davy through the electrolysis of sodium hydroxide.  This goes to show that indeed sodium has been there forever.

4. Sodium doesn’t occur as a free element

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In terms of the scientific aspect of it, Sodium doesn’t occur as a free element in nature. Its compounds however are abundant and that’s why they have the ability to combine with other elements and form various compounds. For instance, we have sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, sodium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide.

5. Sodium is essential in nutrition

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When all is said and done, sodium is quite essential and important when it comes to animal nutrition. They play a role in making them healthier and more nutritious. In human beings, sodium is much more important when it comes to maintaining fluid balance in cells, throughout the body. The electric potential maintained by sodium ions is quite critical and important for nerve function hence sodium becoming a pretty important element in both the lives of human beings and animals.

Read more: /blog/world/top-15-nutrition-facts-you-should-know-about/

6. Sodium and its compounds are used as food preservatives

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Sodium has so many interesting benefits and advantages and what’s even more impressive, is how they come in handy in every aspect of life. Be it in terms of nutrition, food spices, and much more. With that said, did you know that sodium and its compounds are used for food preservation? They come in handy in helping manage food not going bad. Fun fact: They are also used for cooling nuclear reactors in sodium vapor lamps and for purifying and refining other elements and compounds.

7. The symbol of Sodium comes from a Latin word

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The symbol of sodium is Na and this comes from the Latin word, ‘natrium,’ which simply means salt. Scientifically, this also refers to soda or sodium carbonate. Latin beings one of the oldest languages in the world, the fact that they also had a name for this metal goes to show that indeed it has been around for quite a long time.

8. Sodium is actually found in the sun and many other stars

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Sodium is quite an abundant element that is also found in the sun and so many other stars. In fact, sodium is the sixth most abundant element on Earth, comprising about 2.6% of the Earth’s crust. Because of this, sodium has always been appreciated as the most abundant alkali metal. Note that, alkali metals are those metals found in the first column of the periodic table. They are very reactive chemical species that lose their one electron readily, in order to form ionic compounds with nonmetals.

9. Sodium was first commercially produced by thermal reduction

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Thermal reduction is a process based on the reduction of metal compounds to corresponding metals by more active metals, through the evolution of heat. Hence, sodium was first commercially produced via the thermal reduction of sodium carbonate with carbon at 1,100 degrees Celsius in the Deville process. This was the first industrial process that was used to produce alumina from bauxite. Because of how it was first commercially produced by thermal reduction, pure sodium may be obtained by electrolysis of molten sodium chloride. Fun fact: Sodium may also be produced by thermal decomposition of sodium azide.

10. Sodium is also used to make vapor lamps

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Among other functions of sodium we have come across, sodium can also be used to make vapor lamps, which are typically used in street lights. These kinds of lamps can produce light from electricity very efficiently and act as a heat transfer liquid used also in nuclear reactors. Hence, sodium also comes in very handy in the production of street lights. We all know how important street lights are.

Sodium is an important metal with many benefits and functions. They play a huge role in our day-to-day activities as human beings.

Read more: /blog/world/top15-facts-about-minerals/