Sodium :: essays research papers

Life could not exist without compounds of sodium. These compounds holdwater in body tissues, and a severe deficiency of sodium can cause death.Blood contains sodium compounds in solution. Sodium compounds are use inindustry in the manufacture of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, in metallurgy,in sodium vapor lamps, and in the production of hundreds of every dayproducts. One of the most common sodium compounds is table salt, or sodiumchloride. In its pure determine sodium is a silver-white, soft and waxy metallicelement. It is the sixth most abundant element on Earth and occurs in morethat trace amounts in the stars and sun.The secret that led to low-cost production was learned in 1789, when theFrench chemist Nicolas Leblanc discovered how to make sodium carbonate out of commonsalt. The compound called soda is sodium carbonate. Crude sodium carbonateis called soda ash. The carbonate also combines with water in crystals knownas washing soda, or sal soda. Soda is used in manufacturing s oap, glass,dyestuffs, and explosives and as the basis for making other sodium compounds.Other sodium compounds, with some of their uses, are baking soda(sodiumbicarbonate), an ingredient of baking powder borax (sodium borate), a foodpreservative and caustic soda, or lye (sodium hydroxide), used insoapmaking. Some properties of sodium are Symbol Na, Atomic Number 11,Atomic Weight 22.9898, boil Point 1,621.2 F, and Melting Point 208.06 F.Sodium belongs to the group of elements known as alkali metals. It is neverfound uncombined in nature and was first discriminate by the English scientistSir Humphry Davy in 1807. Lighter than water, pure sodium can be cut with aknife at room temperature and is brittle at low temperatures. It conductsheat and electricity easily and exhibits a photoelectric effect, that is, itemits electrons when exposed to light. In its pure form, sodium oxidizes