Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and exists in numerous minerals such as feldspars, sodalite, and halite (NaCl). Many salts of sodium are highly water-soluble: sodium ions have been leached by the action of water from the Earth's minerals over eons, and as such sodium and chlorine are the most common dissolved elements by weight in the oceans.
Materials needed
Crafting instructions
Sodium can be produced from sodium chloride (salt) through electrolysis. This is done by heating the sodium until it is liquid, and then electrolyzing it. Alternatively, soda ash can be mixed with carbon to create sodium and carbon monoxide.
Use
Sodium can be mixed with water to create an explosion and make sodium hydroxide (a strong corrosive base), although doing so without protection is not recommended. Sodium is used as a drying agent for some organic compounds which are extremely sensitive to water (like benzene, toluene and acetone). In the process of drying, it generate sodium hydroxide which can later extracted. Sodium is also use in some chemical reactions and as a catalyzer.
See also
References
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