What is Sodium (Na)? Important knowledge about Sodium.

  1. Definition of Na
    Sodium (Na) is a chemical element belonging to Group I in the periodic table, with an atomic number of 11. Sodium is a soft, silver-white alkali metal. It is the first alkali metal in the alkali metal series and has a low melting point. Sodium has an approximate atomic mass of 22.99 and its electron configuration is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1. Sodium forms the ion Na+ when it loses an electron.

  2. Properties
    2.1. Physical properties
    Sodium is a silver-white metal that is soft enough to be cut with a knife. It has no distinctive smell and does not provide a specific pH value.
    2.2. Chemical properties
    Sodium is very active, easily ignites, and reacts strongly with water to produce hydrogen and sodium hydroxide. It also reacts with oxygen to form sodium peroxide.

  3. Common chemical equations
    Sodium reacts with water to produce sodium hydroxide and hydrogen:
    2Na + 2H2O -> 2NaOH + H2↑
    Sodium also reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce sodium chloride and hydrogen:
    2Na + 2HCl -> 2NaCl + H2↑

  4. Sodium preparation
    4.1 Laboratory preparation:
    Sodium cannot be prepared in the lab due to its strong reactivity with most other substances.
    4.2 Industrial preparation:
    Sodium is usually prepared industrially by electrolysing molten sodium chloride.

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