Sodium was discovered over 200 years ago. The method of electrolysis was isolated by the English chemist Humphry Davy. Sodium is found as a compound in nature due to its high reactivity.
1. Sodium is a silvery-white metal that belongs to the first group of the Periodic Table, which is the alkali metals group.
2. Sodium is highly reactive. Pure sodium is kept fully immersed in the kerosene because it itself ignites under the influence of water. Also interesting is the fact that metallic sodium floats on the surface of the water.
3. Pure sodium quickly loses its silvery luster when exposed to air.
4. Sodium has 13 isotopes and only one isotope is stable.
5. At room temperature, the sodium is so soft that it can be easily cut with a butter knife.
6. The symbol for sodium is Na, which comes from the Latin “Natrium” or the Arabic “Natrun”.
7. Sodium is a common element. It is part of the Sun and many other stars. It is the sixth most abundant element on Earth, accounting for approximately 2.6% of the earth’s crust and the most abundant alkali metal.
8. Sodium plays one of the key roles in animal nutrition. For humans, sodium is important for maintaining fluid balance in the cells and throughout the body, while the electric potential maintained by sodium ions is critical for nerve function.
9. The most common sodium mineral is halite or sodium chloride salt.
10. Pure sodium may be obtained by electrolysis of molten sodium chloride.
11. Street lights are yellow because they contain sodium. The way it works is that the lamps have a quantity of sodium in them, and when electricity is passed through the sodium it gets excited and gives off a specific golden glow.
12. Sodium is used in many industries, such as food, chemical, petroleum, textile, and metallurgy. It is used to produce various compounds such as salt, baking soda, sodium nitrate, etc.
