Sodium (Na)

Stable Isotopes of Sodium

Sodium was discovered in 1807 by Sir Humphry Davy. Its name originates from the English word soda, and its symbol (Na) comes from the Latin word natrium, which refers to the Egyptian word natron, a natural mineral salt primarily made of hydrated sodium carbonate. Other origins may include the Arabic word suda, meaning “headache,” as the headache-alleviating properties of sodium carbonate were well known in early times. Even the English word “salary” derives from the Latin salarium, referring to the wafers of salt sometimes given to Roman soldiers along with their other wages.

Sodium is a soft, bright, silvery metal. It is malleable and can be cut readily with a knife or extruded as wire. In an inert atmosphere it appears like mercury with a blue vapor, and it appears brilliant green at high temperatures, imparting a golden-yellow color to flames. It ignites in air when heated to 120 ºC, burning with a yellow flame and forming a dense white smoke with an acrid color. It also reacts violently with water and is soluble in liquid ammonia, forming a deep blue solution.

Alloys can be formed by combining sodium with a number of metals, including lead, chromium, mercury, aluminum, silicon and iron. The sodium-lead alloy is used commercially to produce tetraethyllead, which has been used historically as an additive to gasoline. Sodium vapor lamps are often used for street lighting in cities, giving colors ranging from yellow-orange to peach as the vapor pressure increases. Major applications of sodium use its compound forms. Millions of tons of sodium chloride, hydroxide and carbonate are produced annually.

Properties of Sodium