Is Sodium very reactive and burns very quickly ?

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium
SODIUM
Sodium is the chemical element that has the symbol Na (Natrium in Latin) and atomic number 11. Sodium is a soft, waxy, silvery reactive metal belonging to the alkali metals that is abundant in natural compounds (especially halite). It is highly reactive, burns with a yellow flame, reacts violently with water and oxidizes in air necessitating storage in an inert environment.

Notable characteristics
Like the other alkali metals, sodium metal is a soft, light-weight, silvery white, reactive metal. Owing to its extreme reactivity, in nature it occurs only combined into compounds, and never as a pure elemental metal. Sodium metal floats on water, and reacts violently with it releasing heat, flammable hydrogen gas and caustic sodium hydroxide solution. Depending on the mass of sodium used and the amount of agitation, this reaction may be explosive.

Sodium ions are necessary for regulation of blood and body fluids, transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity, and certain metabolic functions. Interestingly, sodium is needed by animals, which maintain high concentrations in their blood and extracellular fluids, but the ion is not needed by plants. A completely plant-based diet, therefore, will be very low in sodium. This requires some herbivores to obtain their sodium from salt licks and other mineral sources. The animal need for sodium is probably the reason for the highly conserved ability to taste sodium ion, as "salty." Receptors for the pure salty taste respond best to sodium, and otherwise only to a few other small monovalent cations (Li+, NH4+, and to some extent also K+). Calcium chloride also tastes somewhat salty, but also quite bitter. Sodium salts without exception are soluble in water, and all of them are salty to the taste.

The most common sodium salt, sodium chloride (table salt), used for seasoning and food preservation, has been an important commodity in human activities (the English word salary refers to salarium, the perquisite given to Roman soldiers for the purpose of buying salt).

The human requirement for sodium in the diet is less than 500 mg per day, which is typically less than a tenth as much as many diets "seasoned to taste." Most people consume far more sodium than is physiolgically needed. For certain people with salt-sensitive blood pressure, this extra intake may cause a negative effect on health.
Applications
Sodium in its metallic form can be used to refine some reactive metals, such as zirconium and potassium, from their compounds. This alkali metal as the Na+ ion is vital to animal life. Other uses:

In certain alloys to improve their structure.
In soap, in combination with fatty acids. Sodium soaps are harder (higher melting) soaps than potassium soaps.
To descale metal (make its surface smooth).
To purify molten metals.
In sodium vapor lamps, an efficient means of producing light from electricity (see the picture), often used for street lighting in cities. Low-pressure sodium lamps give a distinctive yellow-orange light which consists primarily of the twin sodium D spectral lines. High-pressure sodium lamps give a more natural peach-colored light, composed of wavelengths spread much more widely across the spectrum.
As a heat transfer fluid in some types of nuclear reactors and inside the hollow valves of high-performance internal combustion engines.
NaCl, a compound of sodium ions and chloride ions, is an important heat transfer material.
In organic synthesis, sodium is used as a reducing agent, for example in the Birch reduction.
In chemistry, sodium is often used either alone or with potassium in an alloy, NaK as a desiccant for drying solvents. Used with benzophenone, it forms an intense blue coloration when the solvent is dry and oxygen-free.

Answer 2

YES.
Sodium is the chemical element that has the symbol Na (Natrium in Latin) and atomic number 11. Sodium is a soft, waxy, silvery reactive metal belonging to the alkali metals that is abundant in natural compounds (especially halite). It is highly reactive, burns with a yellow flame, reacts violently with water and oxidizes in air necessitating storage in an inert environment.
Like the other alkali metals, sodium metal is a soft, light-weight, silvery white, reactive metal. Owing to its extreme reactivity, in nature it occurs only combined into compounds, and never as a pure elemental metal. Sodium metal floats on water, and reacts violently with it releasing heat, flammable hydrogen gas and caustic sodium hydroxide solution. Depending on the mass of sodium used and the amount of agitation, this reaction may be explosive.

Answer 3

What's in a name?
From the English word soda and from the Medieval Latin word sodanum, which means "headache remedy." Sodium's chemical symbol comes from the Latin word for sodium carbonate, natrium.


History and Uses:
Although sodium is the sixth most abundant element on earth and comprises about 2.6% of the earth's crust, it is a very reactive element and is never found free in nature. Pure sodium was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1807 through the electrolysis of caustic soda (NaOH). Since sodium can ignite on contact with water, it must be stored in a moisture free environment.

Sodium is used in the production of titanium, sodamide, sodium cyanide, sodium peroxide, and sodium hydride. Liquid sodium has been used as a coolant for nuclear reactors. Sodium vapor is used in streetlights and produces a brilliant yellow light.

Sodium also forms many useful compounds. Some of the most common are: table salt (NaCl), soda ash (Na2CO3), baking soda (NaHCO3), caustic soda (NaOH), Chile saltpeter (NaNO3) and borax (Na2B4O7·10H2O).

Answer 4

ya, just place it in the water and you can see sodium will burst into a ball of fire on the water. It is the group 1 element. In this group, all the elements like lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caestium, and francium are very reactive, however the rate of reaction will be higher as it goes down.

Answer 5

Sodium is a mineral. The main dietary source of sodium is common table salt (sodium chloride), which is 40% sodium and 60 chloride, but regular unprocessed foods contain natural sodium as well. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk and cheese all contribute sodium.

Answer 6

Yes you will never find pure sodium unless in perfect conditions because sodium will react with the anything like the slightest bit of moisture in the air
it will react violently to form a compound

Answer 7

very reactive. it is the reason why sodium metal is stored in a oil to prevent even a single moisture to have contact with it. if that happens, it will violently (but not like bombs) explode to form NaOH and however, there will be so much smoke...

best answer?

Answer 8

Yes,it is.This is why Sodium is kept under oil.If Sodium takes contact with air burns violently.This is the reason why we can,t find 100% purity Sodium

Answer 9

Highly reactive, spontaneously combustible with moisture in air.
Potassium and cesium are fairly violent. Sodium and lithium are a little more tame, but only slightly.

Answer 10

sodium comes in at second place in the reactivity series of elements, one behind the most reactive element potassium. if kept outside in the open, it will immediately burn up or undergo combustion. therefore it is stored by keepin it immersed in kerosene.

Answer 11

Yes, sodium is very volatile. Water will make sodium explode. Even small amounts of moisture will. The reason sodium (Na - 'Natrium') is volatile is because it has a very high oxidation level.