Sodium is one of the most common metal in the earth's crust.
Because it is easy to react with other elements, sodium is found in a variety of compounds and is rarely found in its pure elements.
general
A sodium atom has 11 protons, 11 electrons, and 12 neutrons.
Sodium has a melting point of about 98 degrees Celsius, and a boiling point of about 883 degrees Celsius.
Sir Humphrey Davy was able to isolate and identify it as the element sodium in 1807. Sodium is included in group 1 on the periodic table that is also called the alkali metals.
There are seventeen isotopes of sodium. Isotopes are elements with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
Alkali Metals
As an alkali metal, sodium has certain properties that make it different from other metals.
The most prominent, known to be very reactive sodium. That's because, sodium is always bonded to other elements or compounds.
Compared with other alkali metals, sodium is a metal that is less active. Sodium with pure water will bring an exothermic reaction.
Display and Compounds
Sodium as a pure element is rarely found in nature because it is very reactive. Pure sodium silvery and soft.
Sodium is also commonly found in the ocean as ions. Ions are atoms that have lost or gain electrons so that it has an additional charge.
Sodium ion is more stable, so it is less reactive when compared to pure sodium.
usefulness
Sodium compounds needed by all organisms and is also used in our daily lives.
Sodium chloride (NaCl), or table salt needed for cells to function properly and an electrolyte preparation needed blood.
Sodium is also used in various industrial products such as baking soda (NaHCO3) and bleach (NaOCl), and is used in metal alloys as efficient in transferring heat.