Sodium Sodium ( Na ) Essay, Research Paper
Sodium has an atomic figure of 11 and a mass of about 23g. It is a silvern white-metallic component classified under the alkali metals. Sodium has been known since early times and was used by the people of Mesopotamia and Egypt to do spectacless. Sodium is the 6th most common component found on the Earth. It is normally non found in nature but more frequently in compounds such as salt ( NaCl ) . Sodium conducts heat and electricity easy. Without this element life could non be. Each compound is used for a certain ground. About 2.8 per centum of the Earth’s crust contains this component doing it the 6th most common in the Earth’s crust. Sodium is found in compounds among dry lake beds, resistance, and every bit good as in saltwater in such topographic points as: Belarus, China, France, Germany, India, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States. Sodium is an highly chemically active component. If combined with H2O it tends to respond smartly. For illustration. Since, Na is such a unsafe component it has to be handled with attention and stored air-tight significance without O. Sodium was foremost extracted into pure signifier in 1807 by an English chemist known as Sir Humphry Davy. He used the procedure of electrolysis where an electrical current is passed through a liquefied Na compound such as Na chloride, Na was foremost extracted into its pure signifier. Many makers today still use electricity to obtain Na. Sodium is still extremely manufactured for many industrial and commercial utilizations. Sodium has commercial utilizations every bit good as industrial utilizations. From soaps to fertilisers, Na is used to do H2O softeners, fabrics, and is used every bit good as to alleviate tummy acid, Na hydrogen carbonate: a white crystalline decrepit alkaline salt NaHCO 3 used particularly in baking 1 pulverizations, fire asphyxiators, and medical specialty. ( Definition from Structure and Matter, Glossary ) Photographers use sodium thiosulphate: a hygroscopic crystalline salt Na 2 S 2 O 3 used particularly as a repair agent ( Definition from Structure and Matter, Glossary ) and a reduction or decoloring agent to repair photographic images on paper. Sodium in its pure signifier besides has industrial utilizations suc
h as in catalyst which help in making synthetic rubber. Sodium is combined with other metals to produce titanium zirconium and many other chemicals. It is used in the manufacture of tetraethyl lead and some power plants even use it in liquid form to cool nuclear reactors. Sodium fluoride is used to poison mice and roaches and also for ceramics. Sodium is also used as a fertilizer, Chile salt pepper which is the compound sodium nitrate. Sodium is also a necessary element in the body for the maintenance of normal fluid balance and other psychological functions. Also, it is used in making vapor lamps. Finally after going through sodium’s uses we can conclude that sodium is a versatile element. Sodium and Potassium compounds are similar. Since they are so alike they can be substituted for each other. Both are used in the industry but mostly sodium is used because it is less expensive, this secret was discovered in 1789 by a French chemist, Nicholas Leblanc, who was making soda(Na CO ) with common table salt. Sodium is highly useful and important. It is used in many compounds. Some physical properties of sodium are melting point:98 C, boiling point: 883 C, density: .97g/cm, atomic radius: 0.157nm and it is a solid . In a conductivity test sodium chloride turned out to a strong electrolyte in comparison with mercuric chloride solution which turned out to be a weak electrolyte: a compound that conducts an electric current in an aqueous solution or in the molten state .(Definition from: Addison Wesley Chemistry, Glossary pg.863) Sodium is produced when molten sodium chloride is electrolyzed. It is an alkali metal is manufactured on a large scale. 2 In order to make the metal sodium ions have to be reduced. After researching sodium’s uses in everyday life I came to the conclusion that sodium is a necessity and should be used carefully. It is an inexpensive and useful element that should not be played around with because it can cause a lot damage to anyone or anything. It can be used in various ways, so if sodium would not exist, life itself would be totally different . It is unbelievable that an element such as sodium can be very dangerous and at the same time very useful.
