Sodium

Fig.1 Sodium Sample

Sodium is a alkali metal. Sodium carbonate was one of the most common ore of sodium found in nature and is what ancient civilizations most likely used. Humphry Davy was the one who extracted it in his experiments in 1806 but Egyptian’s where already using it to create glass, which is just heated sodium carbonate and calcium oxide. Sodium most likely originated from an Arabic word suda, meaning “headache” which was used to cure headaches among early people. It was also used as a preservation agent for ancient civilizations food, so the food would not go bad.

Fig.2 Raw Sodium

Sodium is a soft metal but if it comes into contact with air it tarnishes within seconds. It is the sixth most common element on earth. It is soft enough to cut with the edge of a coin. Sodium never occurs as a free element in nature. It always occurs as a part of a compound. The most common source of sodium in the Earth is halite or rock salt. Halite can be mined and are found in underground deposits like coalmines. Sodium and water do not mix and if they come in contact sodium reacts violently releasing a great amount of energy. Humans contain about a hundred grams of sodium in their body but because sweat contains sodium, we constantly lose sodium but gain it back when eating foods with salt. Sodium has a melting point of 97.82 C (208.1 F) and the boiling point is 881.4 C (1,618 F)

Fig.3 Sodium in in common table salt

Sodium has many different uses. It can be used as a heat exchanger in nuclear reactors, which is a material that picks up heat in one place and carries it to another place. It can also be used as a reagent in the chemical industry. It is also used to make artificial rubber. The combination of an electric current and sodium vapor produces a yellowish glow in street lamps. Many of today’s street lamps contain sodium vapor. It is also used as salt, which is found in food eaten by many people but if you consume too much it can cause high blood pressure, which can result in a heart attack.