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{{about|the chemical element|the nutrient commonly called sodium|salt|the use of sodium as a medication|Saline (medicine)|other uses|sodium (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Natrium}}
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{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox sodium}}

'''Sodium''' is a [[chemical element]]; it has [[Symbol (chemistry)|symbol]]&nbsp;'''Na''' (from [[Neo-Latin]] {{lang|la|natrium}}) and [[atomic number]]&nbsp;11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive [[metal]]. Sodium is an [[alkali metal]], being in [[group 1 element|group 1]] of the periodic table. Its only stable [[isotope]] is <sup>23</sup>Na. The free metal does not occur in nature and must be prepared from compounds. Sodium is the [[Abundance of elements in Earth's crust|sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust]] and exists in numerous [[minerals]] such as [[feldspar]]s, [[sodalite]], and [[halite]] (NaCl). Many salts of sodium are highly water-soluble: sodium ions have been [[Leaching (chemistry)|leached]] by the action of water from the [[Earth|Earth's]] [[mineral]]s over eons, and thus sodium and [[chlorine]] are the most common dissolved elements by weight in the oceans.

Sodium was first isolated by [[Humphry Davy]] in 1807 by the [[electrolysis]] of [[sodium hydroxide]]. Among many other useful sodium compounds, [[sodium hydroxide]] ([[lye]]) is used in [[Soap|soap manufacture]], and [[sodium chloride]] ([[edible salt]]) is a [[De-ice|de-icing]] agent and a nutrient for animals including humans.

Sodium is an [[Dietary mineral|essential element]] for all animals and some plants. Sodium ions are the major cation in the [[extracellular fluid]] (ECF) and as such are the major contributor to the ECF [[osmotic pressure]].<ref name=ciba>{{cite book | vauthors = Diem K, Lentner C | chapter= Blood – Inorganic substances| title= in: Scientific Tables | edition= Seventh |location=Basle, Switzerland |publisher=CIBA-GEIGY Ltd. |date=1970 |pages=561–568}}</ref> Animal cells actively pump sodium ions out of the cells by means of the [[sodium–potassium pump]], an [[enzyme]] complex embedded in the [[cell membrane]], in order to maintain a roughly ten-times higher concentration of sodium ions outside the cell than inside.<ref name="Gagnon 2021">{{cite journal | last1=Gagnon | first1=Kenneth B. | last2=Delpire | first2=Eric | title=Sodium Transporters in Human Health and Disease | journal=Frontiers in Physiology | date=2021 | volume=11 | article-number=588664 | issn=1664-042X | pmid=33716756 | pmc=7947867 | doi=10.3389/fphys.2020.588664 | doi-access=free }}</ref> In [[Neuron|nerve cells]], the sudden flow of sodium ions into the cell through [[voltage-gated sodium channel]]s enables transmission of a nerve impulse in a process called the [[action potential]].

==Characteristics==

===Physical===
[[File:Na-D-sodium D-lines-589nm.jpg|thumb|left|[[Emission spectrum]] for sodium, showing the [[Fraunhofer lines|D line]]]]
Sodium at [[standard temperature and pressure]] is a soft silvery metal that combines with oxygen in the air, forming [[sodium oxide]]s.  Bulk sodium is usually stored in oil or an inert gas. Sodium metal can be easily cut with a knife. It is a good conductor of electricity and heat.

The melting (98&nbsp;°C) and boiling (883&nbsp;°C) points of sodium are lower than those of lithium but higher than those of the heavier alkali metals potassium, rubidium, and caesium, following periodic trends down the group.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/chemistry/compounds-and-elements/alkali-metals|title="Alkali Metals." Science of Everyday Things|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=15 October 2016|archive-date=17 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017234708/http://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/chemistry/compounds-and-elements/alkali-metals|url-status=live}}</ref> These properties change dramatically at elevated pressures: at 1.5&nbsp;[[Bar (unit)|Mbar]], the color changes from silvery metallic to black; at 1.9&nbsp;Mbar the material becomes transparent with a red color; and at 3 Mbar, sodium is a clear and transparent solid. All of these high-pressure [[allotrope]]s are insulators and [[electride]]s.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gatti|first1=M.|last2=Tokatly|first2=I.|last3=Rubio|first3=A.|date=2010|title=Sodium: A Charge-Transfer Insulator at High Pressures|journal=[[Physical Review Letters]]|volume=104|issue=21|article-number=216404|pmid=20867123|doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.216404|bibcode=2010PhRvL.104u6404G|arxiv = 1003.0540 |s2cid=18359072}}</ref>

[[File:Flametest--Na.swn.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A positive [[flame test]] for sodium has a bright yellow color.]]
In a [[flame test]], sodium and its compounds glow yellow<ref>{{cite book|last=Schumann|first=Walter|title=Minerals of the World|date=5 August 2008|publisher=Sterling|isbn=978-1-4027-5339-8|edition=2nd|page=28|oclc=637302667}}</ref> because the excited [[atomic orbital|3s]] electrons of sodium emit a [[photon]] when they fall from 3p to 3s; the wavelength of this photon corresponds to the [[D2 line|D line]] at about 589.3&nbsp;nm. [[Spin-orbit interaction]]s involving the electron in the 3p orbital split the D line into two, at 589.0 and 589.6&nbsp;nm; [[hyperfine structure]]s involving both orbitals cause many more lines.<ref name="Citron-PRL-1977">{{cite journal|last1=Citron|first1=M. L.|last2=Gabel|first2=C.|last3=Stroud|first3=C.|date=1977|title=Experimental Study of Power Broadening in a Two-Level Atom|journal=Physical Review A|volume=16|doi=10.1103/PhysRevA.16.1507|pages=1507–1512|issue=4|bibcode=1977PhRvA..16.1507C|last4=Stroud|first4=C.}}</ref>

===Isotopes===
{{main|Isotopes of sodium}}
Twenty isotopes of sodium are known, but only <sup>23</sup>Na is stable. <sup>23</sup>Na is created in the [[carbon-burning process]] in stars by fusing two [[carbon]] atoms together; this requires temperatures above 600 megakelvins and a star of at least three solar masses.<ref>{{cite journal|bibcode=1987SvAL...13..214D|title= Sodium Synthesis in Hydrogen Burning Stars|last1=Denisenkov |first1=P. A.|last2=Ivanov|first2=V. V.|volume=13| date=1987|page= 214|journal=Soviet Astronomy Letters}}</ref> Two [[radioactive decay|radioactive]], [[cosmogenic]] isotopes are the byproduct of [[cosmic ray spallation]]: <sup>22</sup>Na has a [[half-life]] of 2.6 years and <sup>24</sup>Na, a half-life of 15 hours; all other isotopes have a half-life of less than one minute.<ref>{{NUBASE 2003}}</ref>

Two [[nuclear isomer]]s have been discovered, the longer-lived one being <sup>24m</sup>Na with a half-life of around 20.2 milliseconds. Acute neutron radiation, as from a nuclear [[criticality accident]], converts some of the stable <sup>23</sup>Na in human blood to <sup>24</sup>Na; the neutron radiation dosage of a victim can be calculated by measuring the concentration of <sup>24</sup>Na relative to <sup>23</sup>Na.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Neutron Activation of Sodium in Anthropomorphous Phantoms|journal=Health Physics| volume=8|issue=4| pages=371–379| date=1962| last1=Sanders| first1=F. W.|last2=Auxier|first2=J. A.| doi= 10.1097/00004032-196208000-00005|pmid=14496815|bibcode=1962HeaPh...8..371S |s2cid=38195963 }}</ref>

==Chemistry==
{{Main|Sodium compounds}}
Sodium atoms have 11 electrons, one more than the stable configuration of the [[noble gas]] [[neon]]. The first and second [[ionization energies]] are 495.8&nbsp;kJ/mol and 4562&nbsp;kJ/mol, respectively. As a result, sodium usually forms [[ionic compound]]s involving the Na<sup>+</sup> cation.<ref>{{cite book|title=Cambridge International AS and A Level Chemistry Coursebook|author=Lawrie Ryan|author2= Roger Norris|publisher=Cambridge University Press, 2014|edition=illustrated|isbn=978-1-107-63845-7|page=36|date=31 July 2014}}</ref>

===Metallic sodium===
Metallic sodium is generally less reactive than [[potassium]] and more reactive than [[lithium]].<ref>{{cite web|last=De Leon|first=N.|title=Reactivity of Alkali Metals|url=http://www.iun.edu/~cpanhd/C101webnotes/modern-atomic-theory/alkali-reac.html|publisher=[[Indiana University Northwest]]|access-date=7 December 2007|archive-date=16 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016113143/http://www.iun.edu/~cpanhd/C101webnotes/modern-atomic-theory/alkali-reac.html}}</ref> Sodium metal is highly reducing, with the [[standard reduction potential]] for the Na<sup>+</sup>/Na couple being −2.71 volts,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Atkins|first1=Peter W.|last2=de Paula|first2=Julio|title=Physical Chemistry|date=2002|edition=7th|publisher=W. H. Freeman|isbn=978-0-7167-3539-7|oclc=3345182|url=https://archive.org/details/physicalchemistr0000atki}}</ref> though potassium and lithium have even more negative potentials.<ref>{{cite book|last=Davies|first=Julian A.|title=Synthetic Coordination Chemistry: Principles and Practice|date=1996|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=978-981-02-2084-6|oclc=717012347|page=293}}</ref>

===Salts and oxides===
{{Category see also|Sodium compounds}}
[[File:NaCl polyhedra.png|thumb|The structure of [[sodium chloride]], showing octahedral coordination around Na<sup>+</sup> and Cl<sup>−</sup> centres. This framework disintegrates when dissolved in water and reassembles when the water evaporates.]]
Sodium compounds are of immense commercial importance, being particularly central to industries producing [[glass]], [[paper]], [[soap]], and [[textile]]s.{{Sfn|Greenwood|Earnshaw|1997|p=89}} The most important sodium compounds are [[table salt]] (Na[[chloride|Cl]]), [[soda ash]] (Na<sub>2</sub>[[carbonate|CO<sub>3</sub>]]), [[baking soda]] (Na[[Bicarbonate|HCO<sub>3</sub>]]), [[sodium hydroxide|caustic soda]] (NaOH), [[sodium nitrate]] (Na[[nitrate|NO<sub>3</sub>]]), di- and tri-[[sodium phosphates]], [[sodium thiosulfate]] (Na<sub>2</sub>[[thiosulfate|S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>]]·5H<sub>2</sub>O), and [[borax]] (Na<sub>2</sub>[[boron|B]]<sub>4</sub>O<sub>7</sub>·10H<sub>2</sub>O).<ref name="Holl" /> In compounds, sodium is usually [[ionic bond|ionically bonded]] to water and anions and is viewed as a [[HSAB|hard]] [[Lewis acid]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Cowan|first=James A.|title=Inorganic Biochemistry: An Introduction|date=1997|publisher=Wiley-VCH|isbn=978-0-471-18895-7|page=7|oclc=34515430}}</ref>

[[File:Sodium stearate v2.svg|class=skin-invert-image|thumb|center|upright=1.4|Two equivalent images of the chemical structure of [[sodium stearate]], a typical soap]]
Most [[soap]]s are sodium salts of [[fatty acid]]s. Sodium soaps have a higher melting temperature (and seem "harder") than potassium soaps.<ref name="Holl">{{cite book|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|date=1985|edition=91–100|pages=931–943|isbn=978-3-11-007511-3|title=Lehrbuch der Anorganischen Chemie|last1=Holleman|first1=Arnold F.|last2=Wiberg|first2=Egon|last3=Wiberg|first3=Nils|language=de}}</ref>

Like all the [[alkali metal]]s, sodium reacts [[Exothermic reaction|exothermically]] with water. The reaction produces caustic soda ([[sodium hydroxide]]) and flammable [[hydrogen]] gas. When burned in air, it forms primarily [[sodium peroxide]] with some [[sodium oxide]].{{sfn|Greenwood|Earnshaw|1997|p=84}}

===Aqueous solutions===
Sodium tends to form water-soluble compounds, such as [[halides]], [[sulfate]]s, [[nitrates]], [[carboxylates]] and [[carbonate]]s. The main aqueous species are the aquo complexes [Na(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>''n''</sub>]<sup>+</sup>, where ''n'' = 4–8; with ''n'' = 6 indicated from X-ray diffraction data and computer simulations.<ref name="Lincoln">{{cite book|doi=10.1016/B0-08-043748-6/01055-0|title=Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry II|date=2004|isbn=978-0-08-043748-4|page=515|chapter=Metal Aqua Ions|last1=Lincoln|first1=S. F.|last2=Richens|first2=D. T.|last3=Sykes|first3=A. G.}}</ref>

Direct precipitation of sodium salts from aqueous solutions is rare because sodium salts typically have a high affinity for water. An exception is [[sodium bismuthate]] (NaBiO<sub>3</sub>),<ref>{{cite book|title=Lange's Handbook of Chemistry|publisher=McGraw-Hill|date=1998|isbn=978-0-07-016384-3|last1=Dean|first1=John Aurie|last2=Lange|first2=Norbert Adolph}}</ref> which is insoluble in cold water and decomposes in hot water.<ref name="me">{{Cite book|title=The Merck index|date=2000|publisher=Chapman & Hall Electronic Pub. Division|isbn=978-1-58488-129-2|edition=12th|page=1357}}</ref> Because of the high solubility of its compounds, sodium salts are usually isolated as solids by evaporation or by precipitation with an organic antisolvent, such as [[ethanol]]; for example, only 0.35&nbsp;g/L of sodium chloride will dissolve in ethanol.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burgess|first= J.|title=Metal Ions in Solution|publisher=Ellis Horwood|location=New York|date=1978|isbn=978-0-85312-027-8}}</ref> A [[crown ether]] such as [[15-crown-5]] may be used as a [[phase-transfer catalyst]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Starks|first1=Charles M.|last2=Liotta|first2=Charles L.|last3=Halpern|first3=Marc|title=Phase-Transfer Catalysis: Fundamentals, Applications, and Industrial Perspectives|date=1994|publisher=Chapman & Hall|page=162|isbn=978-0-412-04071-9|oclc=28027599}}</ref>

Sodium content of samples is determined by [[atomic absorption spectrophotometry]] or by [[potentiometry]] using ion-selective electrodes.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Levy|first=G. B.|title=Determination of Sodium with Ion-Selective Electrodes|journal=Clinical Chemistry|url=http://www.clinchem.org/content/27/8/1435|volume=27|issue=8|pages=1435–1438|date=1981|doi=10.1093/clinchem/27.8.1435|pmid=7273405|access-date=26 November 2011|archive-date=5 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205222850/http://www.clinchem.org/content/27/8/1435|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Electrides and sodides===
Like the other alkali metals, sodium dissolves in ammonia and some amines to give deeply colored solutions; evaporation of these solutions leaves a shiny film of metallic sodium. The solutions contain the [[coordination complex]] [Na(NH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>6</sub>]<sup>+</sup>, with the positive charge counterbalanced by [[electride|electrons as anions]]; [[cryptand]]s permit the isolation of these complexes as crystalline solids. Sodium forms complexes with crown ethers, cryptands and other ligands.<ref>{{cite book|title=Applications of the Newer Techniques of Analysis|date=6 December 2012|editor=Ivor L. Simmons|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media, 2012|isbn=978-1-4684-3318-0|page=160}}</ref>

For example, [[15-crown-5]] has a high affinity for sodium because the cavity size of 15-crown-5 is 1.7–2.2&nbsp;Å, which is enough to fit the sodium ion (1.9&nbsp;Å).<ref>{{cite book|title=Design, Fabrication, Properties and Applications of Smart and Advanced Materials|editor=Xu Hou|publisher=CRC Press, 2016|edition=illustrated|isbn=978-1-4987-2249-0|page=175|date=22 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Anionic Polymerization: Principles, Practice, Strength, Consequences and Applications|editor=Nikos Hadjichristidis|editor2=Akira Hirao|publisher=Springer|edition=illustrated|isbn=978-4-431-54186-8|page=349|date=2015}}</ref> Cryptands, like crown ethers and other [[ionophore]]s, also have a high affinity for the sodium ion; derivatives of the [[alkalide]] Na<sup>−</sup> are obtainable<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[J. Am. Chem. Soc.]]|last1=Dye|first1=J. L.|last2=Ceraso|first2=J. M.|author3=Mei Lok Tak|last4=Barnett|first4=B. L.|last5=Tehan|first5=F. J.|title=Crystalline Salt of the Sodium Anion (Na<sup>−</sup>)|date=1974|volume=96|issue=2|pages=608–609|doi=10.1021/ja00809a060|bibcode=1974JAChS..96..608D }}</ref> by the addition of cryptands to solutions of sodium in ammonia via [[disproportionation]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Holleman|first1=A. F.|last2=Wiberg|first2=E.|last3=Wiberg|first3=N.|title=Inorganic Chemistry|publisher=Academic Press|date=2001|isbn=978-0-12-352651-9|oclc=48056955}}</ref>

===Organosodium compounds===
{{Main|Organosodium chemistry}}
[[File:Monensin2.png|thumb|The structure of the complex of sodium (Na<sup>+</sup>, shown in yellow) and the antibiotic [[monensin]]-A]]
Many organosodium compounds have been prepared. Because of the high polarity of the C-Na bonds, they behave like sources of [[carbanion]]s (salts with organic [[anion]]s). Some well-known derivatives include [[sodium cyclopentadienide]] (NaC<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>) and [[trityl]] sodium ((C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>3</sub>CNa).<ref>{{OrgSynth | first1=W. B.  Jr. | last1=Renfrow |first2=C. R. | last2= Hauser |year=1943 |title=Triphenylmethylsodium |collvol=2 |collvolpages=607 |prep=CV2P0607}}</ref> [[Sodium naphthalene]], Na<sup>+</sup>[C<sub>10</sub>H<sub>8</sub>•]<sup>−</sup>, a strong reducing agent, forms upon mixing Na and naphthalene in ethereal solutions.{{sfn|Greenwood|Earnshaw|1997|p=111}}

===Intermetallic compounds===
Sodium forms alloys with many metals, such as potassium, [[calcium]], [[lead]], and the [[group 11 element|group 11]] and [[group 12 elements|12]] elements. Sodium and potassium form KNa<sub>2</sub> and [[sodium–potassium alloy|NaK]]. NaK is 40–90% potassium and it is liquid at [[ambient temperature]]. It is an excellent thermal and electrical conductor. Sodium-calcium alloys are by-products of the electrolytic production of sodium from a binary salt mixture of NaCl-CaCl<sub>2</sub> and ternary mixture NaCl–CaCl<sub>2</sub>-BaCl<sub>2</sub>. Calcium is only partially [[miscible]] with sodium, and the 1–2% of it dissolved in the sodium obtained from said mixtures can be precipitated by cooling to 120&nbsp;°C and filtering.<ref name="pearson1991">{{cite book |author1=Paul Ashworth |author2=Janet Chetland |editor1-last=Brian |editor1-first=Pearson |title=Speciality chemicals: Innovations in industrial synthesis and applications |date=31 December 1991 |publisher=Elsevier Applied Science |location=London |isbn=978-1-85166-646-1 |pages=259–278 |access-date=27 July 2021 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i0AEIrEUfg0C&pg=PA259 |edition=illustrated |archive-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216161948/https://books.google.com/books?id=i0AEIrEUfg0C&pg=PA259 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a liquid state, sodium is completely miscible with lead. There are several methods to make sodium-lead alloys. One is to melt them together and another is to deposit sodium electrolytically on molten lead cathodes. NaPb<sub>3</sub>, NaPb, Na<sub>9</sub>Pb<sub>4</sub>, Na<sub>5</sub>Pb<sub>2</sub>, and Na<sub>15</sub>Pb<sub>4</sub> are some of the known sodium-lead alloys. Sodium also forms alloys with [[gold]] (NaAu<sub>2</sub>) and [[silver]] (NaAg<sub>2</sub>). Group 12 metals ([[zinc]], [[cadmium]] and [[Mercury (element)|mercury]]) are known to make alloys with sodium. NaZn<sub>13</sub> and NaCd<sub>2</sub> are alloys of zinc and cadmium. Sodium and mercury form NaHg, NaHg<sub>4</sub>, NaHg<sub>2</sub>, Na<sub>3</sub>Hg<sub>2</sub>, and Na<sub>3</sub>Hg.<ref>{{cite book|title=Alloys: Preparation, Properties, Applications|last=Habashi|first=Fathi|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, 2008|isbn=978-3-527-61192-8|pages=278–280|date=21 November 2008}}</ref>

==History==
Because of its importance in human health, salt has long been an important commodity. In medieval Europe, a compound of sodium with the Latin name of ''sodanum'' was used as a [[headache]] remedy. The name sodium is thought to originate from the Arabic ''suda'', meaning headache, as the headache-alleviating properties of [[sodium carbonate]] or soda were well known in early times.<ref name="newton">{{cite book|last=Newton|first=David E.|editor-last=Baker|editor-first=Lawrence W.|title=Chemical Elements|date=1999|isbn=978-0-7876-2847-5|oclc=39778687|url=https://archive.org/details/chemicalelements00newt_0|publisher=U·X·L}}</ref>

Although sodium, sometimes called ''soda'', had long been recognized in compounds, the metal itself was not isolated until 1807 by [[Humphry Davy|Sir Humphry Davy]] through the [[electrolysis]] of [[sodium hydroxide]].<ref name="Davy1807">{{cite journal|first=Humphry|last=Davy|title=On some new phenomena of chemical changes produced by electricity, particularly the decomposition of the fixed alkalies, and the exhibition of the new substances which constitute their bases; and on the general nature of alkaline bodies|date=1808|volume=98|journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London|pages=1–44|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gpwEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA57|doi=10.1098/rstl.1808.0001|doi-access=free|access-date=5 April 2021|archive-date=12 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312220213/https://books.google.com/books?id=gpwEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA57|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="weeks">{{cite journal|doi=10.1021/ed009p1035|title=The discovery of the elements. IX. Three alkali metals: Potassium, sodium, and lithium|date=1932|last1=Weeks|first1=Mary Elvira|author-link1=Mary Elvira Weeks|journal=Journal of Chemical Education|volume=9|issue=6|page=1035|bibcode=1932JChEd...9.1035W}}</ref> In 1809, the German physicist and chemist [[Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert]] proposed the names ''Natronium'' for Humphry Davy's "sodium" and ''Kalium'' for Davy's "potassium".<ref>Humphry Davy (1809) "Ueber einige neue Erscheinungen chemischer Veränderungen, welche durch die Electricität bewirkt werden; insbesondere über die Zersetzung der feuerbeständigen Alkalien, die Darstellung der neuen Körper, welche ihre Basen ausmachen, und die Natur der Alkalien überhaupt" (On some new phenomena of chemical changes that are achieved by electricity; particularly the decomposition of flame-resistant alkalis [i.e., alkalies that cannot be reduced to their base metals by flames], the preparation of new substances that constitute their [metallic] bases, and the nature of alkalies generally), ''Annalen der Physik'', '''31''' (2) : 113–175; [https://books.google.com/books?id=vyswAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA157 see footnote p. 157.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207085127/https://books.google.com/books?id=vyswAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA157 |date=7 December 2016 }} From p. 157: ''"In unserer deutschen Nomenclatur würde ich die Namen ''Kalium'' und ''Natronium'' vorschlagen, wenn man nicht lieber bei den von Herrn Erman gebrauchten und von mehreren angenommenen Benennungen ''Kali-Metalloid'' and ''Natron-Metalloid'', bis zur völligen Aufklärung der chemischen Natur dieser räthzelhaften Körper bleiben will. Oder vielleicht findet man es noch zweckmässiger fürs Erste zwei Klassen zu machen, ''Metalle'' und ''Metalloide'', und in die letztere ''Kalium'' und ''Natronium'' zu setzen. — Gilbert."'' (In our German nomenclature, I would suggest the names ''Kalium'' and ''Natronium'', if one would not rather continue with the appellations ''Kali-metalloid'' and ''Natron-metalloid'' which are used by Mr. Erman and accepted by several [people], until the complete clarification of the chemical nature of these puzzling substances. Or perhaps one finds it yet more advisable for the present to create two classes, ''metals'' and ''metalloids'', and to place ''Kalium'' and ''Natronium'' in the latter – Gilbert.)</ref>

The chemical abbreviation for sodium was first published in 1814 by [[Jöns Jakob Berzelius]] in his system of atomic symbols,<ref>J. Jacob Berzelius, ''Försök, att, genom användandet af den electrokemiska theorien och de kemiska proportionerna, grundlägga ett rent vettenskapligt system för mineralogien'' [Attempt, by the use of electrochemical theory and chemical proportions, to found a pure scientific system for mineralogy] (Stockholm, Sweden: A. Gadelius, 1814), [https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb_Uw0-AAAAcAAJ#page/n91/mode/2up p. 87.]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://elements.vanderkrogt.net/element.php?sym=Na|title=Elementymology & Elements Multidict|first=Peter|last=van der Krogt|access-date=8 June 2007|archive-date=23 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123001459/http://elements.vanderkrogt.net/element.php?sym=Na|url-status=live}}</ref> and is an abbreviation of the element's [[Neo-Latin]] name ''natrium'', which refers to the Egyptian ''[[natron]]'',<ref name="newton" /> a natural mineral salt mainly consisting of hydrated sodium carbonate. Natron historically had several important industrial and household uses, later eclipsed by other sodium compounds.<ref>{{cite journal|title= Natron as a flux in the early vitreous materials industry: sources, beginnings and reasons for decline|author1=Shortland, Andrew |author2=Schachner, Lukas |author3=Freestone, Ian |author4=Tite, Michael | doi=10.1016/j.jas.2005.09.011|volume=33|issue= 4|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|pages=521–530|year= 2006|bibcode=2006JArSc..33..521S }}</ref>

Sodium imparts an intense yellow color to flames. As early as 1860, [[Gustav Kirchhoff|Kirchhoff]] and [[Robert Bunsen|Bunsen]] noted the high sensitivity of a sodium [[flame test]], and stated in [[Annalen der Physik|Annalen der Physik und Chemie]]:<ref name="bunsen1">{{cite journal |doi=10.1002/andp.18601860602 |title=Chemische Analyse durch Spectralbeobachtungen |date=1860 |last1=Kirchhoff |first1=G. |last2=Bunsen |first2=R. |journal=Annalen der Physik und Chemie |volume=186 |issue=6 |pages=161–189 |bibcode=1860AnP...186..161K |hdl=2027/hvd.32044080591324 |url=http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/15657/1/spektral.pdf |access-date=30 June 2019 |archive-date=2 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302113524/http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/15657/1/spektral.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

<blockquote>In a corner of our 60&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup> room farthest away from the apparatus, we exploded 3&nbsp;mg of sodium chlorate with milk sugar while observing the nonluminous flame before the slit. After a while, it glowed a bright yellow and showed a strong sodium line that disappeared only after 10 minutes. From the weight of the sodium salt and the volume of air in the room, we easily calculate that one part by weight of air could not contain more than 1/20 millionth weight of sodium.</blockquote>

==Occurrence==
The Earth's crust contains 2.27% sodium, making it the [[Abundance of the chemical elements|sixth most abundant element]] on Earth and the fourth most abundant metal, behind [[aluminium]], [[iron]], [[calcium]], and [[magnesium]] and ahead of potassium.{{sfn|Greenwood|Earnshaw|1997|p=69}}Sodium's estimated oceanic abundance is 10.8&nbsp;grams per liter.<ref name = "abundancecrc">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kTnxSi2B2FcC |title=CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 84th Edition |last=Lide |first=David R. |date=19 June 2003 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-0484-2 |series=[[CRC Handbook]] |at=14:&nbsp;Abundance of Elements in the Earth's Crust and in the Sea |language=en |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-date=7 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207055929/https://books.google.com/books?id=kTnxSi2B2FcC |url-status=live }}</ref> Because of its high reactivity, it is never found as a pure element. It is found in many minerals, some very soluble, such as [[halite]] and [[natron]], others much less soluble, such as [[amphibole]] and [[zeolite]]. The insolubility of certain sodium minerals such as [[cryolite]] and [[feldspar]] arises from their polymeric anions, which in the case of feldspar is a polysilicate. In the universe, sodium is the 15th most abundant element with a 20,000 parts-per-billion abundance,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Parts of the Periodic Table |url=https://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/periodic/physical_abundances.htm |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=www.angelo.edu |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009202827/https://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/periodic/physical_abundances.htm }}</ref> making sodium 0.002% of the total atoms in the universe.

===Astronomical observations===
Atomic sodium has a very strong {{anchor|spectroscopy}}[[spectral line]] in the yellow-orange part of the spectrum (the same line as is used in [[Sodium-vapor lamp|sodium-vapor street lights]]). This appears as an [[absorption line]] in many types of stars, including the [[Sun]]. The line was first studied in 1814 by [[Joseph von Fraunhofer]] during his investigation of the lines in the solar spectrum, now known as the [[Fraunhofer lines]]. Fraunhofer named it the "D"&nbsp;line, although it is now known to actually be a group of closely spaced lines split by a [[fine structure|fine]] and [[hyperfine structure]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=D-lines |series=spectroscopy |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/D-lines |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=6 November 2017 |language=en |archive-date=7 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107032648/https://www.britannica.com/topic/D-lines |url-status=live }}</ref>

The strength of the D&nbsp;line allows its detection in many other astronomical environments. In stars, it is seen in any whose surfaces are cool enough for sodium to exist in atomic form (rather than ionized). This corresponds to stars of roughly [[F-type main sequence star|F-type]] and cooler. Many other stars appear to have a sodium absorption line, but this is actually caused by gas in the foreground [[interstellar medium]]. The two can be distinguished via high-resolution spectroscopy, because interstellar lines are much narrower than those broadened by [[stellar rotation]].<ref>{{cite journal |bibcode=1994ApJ...436..152W |doi=10.1086/174889 |title=A high-resolution survey of interstellar Na&nbsp;I D1&nbsp;lines |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=436 |page=152 |year=1994 |last1=Welty |first1=Daniel E. |last2=Hobbs |first2=L.&nbsp;M. |last3=Kulkarni |first3=Varsha P.|doi-access= }}</ref>

Sodium has also been detected in numerous [[Solar System]] environments, including the [[exosphere]]s of [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/in-depth |series=In Depth |title=Mercury |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |date=16 October 2017 |access-date=2020-02-29 |archive-date=16 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316162517/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Moon]],<ref>{{cite journal |bibcode=2016Sci...351..249C |doi=10.1126/science.aad2380 |pmid=26678876 |title=How surface composition and meteoroid impacts mediate sodium and potassium in the lunar exosphere |journal=Science |volume=351 |issue=6270 |pages=249–252 |year=2015 |last1=Colaprete |first1=A. |last2=Sarantos |first2=M. |last3=Wooden |first3=D.&nbsp;H. |last4=Stubbs |first4=T.&nbsp;J. |last5=Cook |first5=A.&nbsp;M. |last6=Shirley |first6=M. |doi-access=free}}</ref> and numerous other bodies. Some [[comet]]s have a [[comet tail|sodium tail]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Cometary neutral tail |series=Cosmos |url=http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/C/Cometary+Neutral+Tail |website=astronomy.swin.edu.au |access-date=6 November 2017 |language=en |archive-date=22 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422153120/http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/C/Cometary+Neutral+Tail |url-status=live }}</ref> which was first detected in observations of [[Comet Hale–Bopp]] in 1997.<ref name="Cremonese1997">{{cite journal |journal=The Astrophysical Journal Letters |volume=490 |issue=2 |pages=L199–L202 |year=1997 |doi=10.1086/311040 |title=Neutral sodium from Comet Hale–Bopp: A third type of tail |author1=Cremonese, G. |author2=Boehnhardt, H. |author3=Crovisier, J. |author4=Rauer, H. |author5=Fitzsimmons, A. |author6=Fulle, M. |author7=Licandro, J. |author8=Pollacco, D. |author9=Tozzi, G.&nbsp;P. |author10=West, R.&nbsp;M. |display-authors=6 |bibcode=1997ApJ...490L.199C |arxiv=astro-ph/9710022|s2cid=119405749 }}</ref> Sodium has even been detected in the atmospheres of some [[extrasolar planet]]s via [[transit spectroscopy]].<ref>{{cite journal |bibcode=2008ApJ...673L..87R |doi=10.1086/527475 |title=Sodium absorption from the exoplanetary atmosphere of HD&nbsp;189733b detected in the optical transmission spectrum |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=673 |issue=1 |pages=L87–L90 |year=2008 |last1=Redfield |first1=Seth |last2=Endl |first2=Michael |last3=Cochran |first3=William D. |last4=Koesterke |first4=Lars |arxiv=0712.0761 |s2cid=2028887 }}</ref>

==Commercial production==
Employed in rather specialized applications, about 100,000 tonnes of metallic sodium are produced annually.<ref name="Ullmann" /> Metallic sodium was first produced commercially in the late nineteenth century<ref name="pearson1991" /> by [[carbothermal reduction]] of [[sodium carbonate]] at 1100&nbsp;°C, as the first step of the [[Deville process]] for the production of aluminium:<ref name="kirk">{{cite book|last1=Eggeman |first1=Tim|title=Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|date=2007 |doi=10.1002/0471238961.1915040912051311.a01.pub3|last2=Updated By Staff|isbn=978-0-471-23896-6|chapter=Sodium and Sodium Alloys}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|jstor=27757153|pages=205–221 |last1=Oesper|first1=R. E.|last2=Lemay| first2=P.| title=Henri Sainte-Claire Deville, 1818–1881| volume=3| journal= Chymia|date=1950|doi=10.2307/27757153}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi =10.1021/ed067p1046|title=Sodium|date=1990| last=Banks |first=Alton|journal=Journal of Chemical Education|volume=67 |issue=12|page=1046 |bibcode=1990JChEd..67.1046B}}</ref><!-- Eggeman's source is actually part of the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, but the Wiley Online Library text for that has restricted access. -->
:Na<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> + 2 C → 2 Na + 3 CO

The high demand for aluminium created the need for the production of sodium. The introduction of the [[Hall–Héroult process]] for the production of aluminium by [[Electrolysis|electrolysing]] a molten salt bath ended the need for large quantities of sodium. A related process based on the reduction of sodium hydroxide was developed in 1886.<ref name="kirk" />

Sodium is now produced commercially through the [[electrolysis]] of molten [[sodium chloride]] (common salt), based on a process patented in 1924.<ref name="pauling">Pauling, Linus, ''General Chemistry'', 1970 ed., Dover Publications</ref><ref name="losal">{{cite web|url=http://periodic.lanl.gov/11.shtml|title=Los Alamos National Laboratory – Sodium|access-date=8 June 2007|archive-date=3 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503102258/https://periodic.lanl.gov/11.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> This is done in a [[Downs cell]] in which the NaCl is mixed with [[calcium chloride]] to lower the [[melting point]] below 700&nbsp;°C.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=12 November 2012 | title=Sodium production|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NinmIYKaj2w  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/NinmIYKaj2w| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|access-date=27 July 2021 |publisher=Royal Society Of Chemistry}}{{cbignore}}</ref> As [[calcium]] is less [[electropositive]] than sodium, no calcium will be deposited at the cathode.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sodium Metal from France|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=978-1-4578-1780-9}}</ref> This method is less expensive than the previous [[Castner process]] (the electrolysis of [[sodium hydroxide]]).<ref>{{cite book|title=Industrial Chemistry: For Advanced Students|author=Mark Anthony Benvenuto|publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2015|edition=illustrated|isbn=978-3-11-038339-3|date=24 February 2015}}</ref>
If sodium of high purity is required, it can be [[distilled]] once or several times.

The market for sodium is volatile due to the difficulty in its storage and shipping; it must be stored under a dry [[inert gas]] atmosphere or [[anhydrous]] [[mineral oil]] to prevent the formation of a surface layer of [[sodium oxide]] or [[sodium superoxide]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients: Development, Manufacturing, and Regulation, Second Edition|publisher=CRC Press, 2016|isbn=978-1-4398-0339-4|editor=Stanley Nusim|edition=2, illustrated, revised|page=303|date=19 April 2016}}</ref>

== Uses ==
{{See also|Sodium supplements}}
Though metallic sodium has some important uses, the major applications for sodium use compounds; millions of tons of [[sodium chloride]], [[sodium hydroxide|hydroxide]], and [[sodium carbonate|carbonate]] are produced annually. Sodium chloride is extensively used for [[anti-icing]] and [[de-icing]] and as a preservative; examples of the uses of [[sodium bicarbonate]] include baking, as a [[leavening agent|raising agent]], and [[sodablasting]]. Along with potassium, many important medicines have sodium added to improve their [[bioavailability]]; though potassium is the better ion in most cases, sodium is chosen for its lower price and atomic weight.<ref>{{cite book|last=Remington|first=Joseph P.|title=Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy|date=2006|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|isbn=978-0-7817-4673-1|pages=365–366|edition=21st|editor-last=Beringer|editor-first=Paul|oclc=60679584}}</ref> [[Sodium hydride]] is used as a base for various reactions (such as the [[aldol reaction]]) in organic chemistry.

Metallic sodium is used mainly for the production of [[sodium borohydride]], [[sodium azide]], [[indigo dye|indigo]], and [[triphenylphosphine]]. A once-common use was the making of [[tetraethyllead]] and titanium metal; because of the move away from TEL and new titanium production methods, the production of sodium declined after 1970.<ref name="Ullmann">Alfred Klemm, Gabriele Hartmann, Ludwig Lange, "Sodium and Sodium Alloys" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2005, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. {{doi|10.1002/14356007.a24_277}}</ref> Sodium is also used as an alloying metal, an [[anti-scaling agent]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LI4KmKqca78C&pg=PA76|page=76|title=Metal cleaning: bibliographical abstracts, 1842–1951|last=Harris|first=Jay C.|date=1949|publisher=[[American Society for Testing and Materials]]|oclc=1848092|access-date=8 January 2016|archive-date=18 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518084825/https://books.google.com/books?id=LI4KmKqca78C&pg=PA76|url-status=live}}</ref> and as a reducing agent for metals when other materials are ineffective.

Note the free element is not used as a scaling agent, ions in the water are exchanged for sodium ions. [[Sodium vapor lamp|Sodium plasma ("vapor") lamp]]s are often used for street lighting in cities, shedding light that ranges from yellow-orange to peach as the pressure increases.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0d7u9Nr33zIC&pg=PA112|pages=112–114|title=Applied illumination engineering|last=Lindsey|first=Jack L.|date=1997|publisher=Fairmont Press|isbn=978-0-88173-212-2|oclc=22184876|access-date=8 January 2016|archive-date=17 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617084350/https://books.google.com/books?id=0d7u9Nr33zIC&pg=PA112|url-status=live}}</ref> By itself or [[NaK|with potassium]], sodium is a [[desiccant]]; it gives an intense blue coloration with [[benzophenone]] when the desiccate is dry.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lerner|first=Leonid|title=Small-Scale Synthesis of Laboratory Reagents with Reaction Modeling|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VqosZeMjNjEC&pg=PA91|pages=91–92|date=16 February 2011|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4398-1312-6|oclc=669160695|access-date=8 January 2016|archive-date=12 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512120327/https://books.google.com/books?id=VqosZeMjNjEC&pg=PA91|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[organic synthesis]], sodium is used in various reactions such as the [[Birch reduction]], and the [[sodium fusion test]] is conducted to qualitatively analyse compounds.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sethi|first=Arun|title=Systematic Laboratory Experiments in Organic Chemistry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x77djyQHX8UC&pg=PA32|pages=32–35|publisher=New Age International|isbn=978-81-224-1491-2|oclc=86068991|date=1 January 2006|access-date=8 January 2016|archive-date=29 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429193047/https://books.google.com/books?id=x77djyQHX8UC&pg=PA32|url-status=live}}</ref> Sodium reacts with [[Alcohol (chemistry)|alcohols]] and gives [[alkoxide]]s, and when sodium is dissolved in ammonia solution, it can be used to reduce [[alkyne]]s to trans-[[alkene]]s.<ref>{{cite book|title= Organic Synthesis|last=Smith|first=Michael|publisher= Academic Press, 2011|edition=3|isbn=978-0-12-415884-9|page=455|date=12 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Organic Chemistry|author= Solomons |author2=Fryhle|publisher= John Wiley & Sons, 2006|edition=8|isbn=978-81-265-1050-4|page=272|year= 2006}}</ref> Lasers emitting light at the sodium D line are used to create artificial [[laser guide star]]s that [[FASOR (laser physics)|assist]] in the [[adaptive optics]] for land-based visible-light telescopes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eso.org/sci/publications/messenger/archive/no.139-mar10/messenger-no139-12-19.pdf|work=Domenico Bonaccini Calia, Yan Feng, Wolfgang Hackenberg, Ronald Holzlöhner, Luke Taylor, Steffan Lewis|title=Laser Development for Sodium Laser Guide Stars at ESO|access-date=11 September 2016|archive-date=13 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313021228/http://www.eso.org/sci/publications/messenger/archive/no.139-mar10/messenger-no139-12-19.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Heat transfer ===
[[File:Phase diagram potassium sodium s l.svg|class=skin-invert-image|upright=1.8|thumb|Sodium–potassium alloy (NaK) [[phase diagram]], showing the melting point of sodium as a function of potassium concentration. NaK with 77% potassium is [[eutectic system|eutectic]] and has the lowest melting point of the NaK alloys at −12.6&nbsp;°C.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1002/zaac.19120740115|last1=van Rossen|first1=G. L. C. M.|last2=van Bleiswijk|first2=H.|title=Über das Zustandsdiagramm der Kalium-Natriumlegierungen|journal=Zeitschrift für Anorganische Chemie|volume=74|date=1912|pages=152–156|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1428126|access-date=30 June 2019|archive-date=11 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311005640/https://zenodo.org/record/1428126|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Liquid sodium is used as a [[Coolant|heat transfer fluid]] in [[sodium-cooled fast reactor]]s<ref name="sodiumcoolant">[http://www.ne.doe.gov/pdfFiles/SodiumCoolant_NRCpresentation.pdf Sodium as a Fast Reactor Coolant] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113134710/http://www.ne.doe.gov/pdfFiles/SodiumCoolant_NRCpresentation.pdf |date=13 January 2013 }} presented by Thomas H. Fanning. Nuclear Engineering Division. U.S. Department of Energy. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Topical Seminar Series on Sodium Fast Reactors. 3 May 2007</ref> because it has the high thermal conductivity and low neutron absorption [[cross section (physics)|cross section]] required to achieve a high neutron flux in the reactor.<ref name="nrc">{{cite web|url=https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1504/ML15043A307.pdf|title=Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR)|work=Office of Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy|date=18 February 2015|access-date=25 June 2017|archive-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110133124/https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1504/ML15043A307.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The high boiling point of sodium allows the reactor to operate at ambient (normal) pressure,<ref name="nrc" /> but drawbacks include its opacity, which hinders visual maintenance, and its strongly reducing properties. Sodium will explode in contact with water, although it will only burn gently in air.<ref>{{cite book|title=Fire and Explosion Hazards|publisher=Research Publishing Service, 2011|isbn=978-981-08-7724-8|page=363|year=2011}}</ref>

Radioactive [[sodium-24]] may be produced by [[neutron activation|neutron bombardment]] during operation, posing a slight radiation hazard; the radioactivity stops within a few days after removal from the reactor.<ref>{{cite book|title=Simulation and Optimization Methods in Risk and Reliability Theory|publisher=Nova Science Publishers, 2009|editor=Pavel Solomonovich Knopov |editor2=Panos M. Pardalos|isbn=978-1-60456-658-1|page=150|year=2009}}</ref> If a reactor needs to be shut down frequently, [[sodium–potassium alloy]] (NaK) is used. Because NaK is a liquid at room temperature, the coolant does not solidify in the pipes.<ref>{{cite book|title=Proceedings of the Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics Institute|last= McKillop|first=Allan A.|publisher=Stanford University Press, 1976|page=97|isbn=978-0-8047-0917-0|year= 1976}}</ref> The [[pyrophoricity]] of the NaK means extra precautions must be taken to prevent and detect leaks.<ref>{{cite book|title=Reactor Handbook: Engineering|author=U.S. Atomic Energy Commission|publisher=Interscience Publishers|page=325|edition=2}}</ref>

Another heat transfer application of sodium is in [[poppet valve]]s in high-performance internal combustion engines; the valve stems are partially filled with sodium and work as a [[heat pipe]] to cool the valves.<ref>{{cite patent|country=US|number=US2949907 A| title = Coolant-filled poppet valve and method of making same| pubdate = 23 August 1960| inventor =Tauschek Max J}}</ref>

== Biological role ==
{{Main|Sodium in biology}}

=== Biological role in humans ===
In humans, sodium is an essential mineral that regulates [[blood]] volume, blood pressure, [[Osmosis|osmotic]] equilibrium and [[pH]]. The minimum physiological requirement for sodium is estimated to range from about 120 milligrams per day in newborns to 500 milligrams per day over the age of 10.<ref name="r31">{{cite web|url=http://nuinfo-proto4.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/sodium.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823114818/http://nuinfo-proto4.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/sodium.pdf|archive-date=23 August 2011|title=Sodium|publisher=Northwestern University|access-date=21 November 2011}}</ref>

==== Diet ====
[[Sodium chloride]], also known as 'edible salt' or 'table salt'<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85513-6.00002-5 | doi=10.1016/B978-0-323-85513-6.00002-5 | chapter=Strategies for the reduction of salt in food products | title=Food Structure Engineering and Design for Improved Nutrition, Health and Well-Being | date=2023 | last1=Dos Santos | first1=Mirian | last2=Triviño | first2=Andrea Paola Rodriguez | last3=Barros | first3=Julliane Carvalho | last4=Da Cruz | first4=Adriano G. | last5=Pollonio | first5=Marise Aparecida Rodrigues | pages=187–218 | isbn=978-0-323-85513-6 }}</ref> (chemical formula {{chem2|NaCl}}), is the principal source of sodium ({{chem2|Na}}) in the diet and is used as seasoning and preservative in such commodities as [[pickling|pickled preserves]] and [[Jerky (food)|jerky]]. For Americans, most sodium chloride comes from [[Convenience food|processed foods]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://health.ltgovernors.com/sodium-and-potassium-health-facts.html|title=Sodium and Potassium Quick Health Facts|work=health.ltgovernors.com|access-date=7 November 2011|archive-date=30 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630141652/http://health.ltgovernors.com/sodium-and-potassium-health-facts.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Other sources of sodium are its natural occurrence in food and such food additives as [[monosodium glutamate]] (MSG), [[sodium nitrite]], sodium saccharin, [[baking soda]] (sodium bicarbonate), and [[sodium benzoate]].<ref name="medline">{{cite web|url=https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002415.htm|title=Sodium in diet|publisher=MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine|date=5 October 2016|access-date=23 July 2016|archive-date=29 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329001333/https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002415.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[U.S. Institute of Medicine]] set its [[Dietary Reference Intake|tolerable upper intake level]] for sodium at 2.3&nbsp;grams per day,<ref>{{cite web|date=20 July 2005|title=Reference Values for Elements|url=http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/reference/table/ref_elements_tbl-eng.php|website=Dietary Reference Intakes Tables|publisher=Health Canada|access-date=25 August 2016|archive-date=29 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529081816/http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/reference/table/ref_elements_tbl-eng.php|url-status=live}}</ref> but the average person in the United States consumes 3.4&nbsp;grams per day.<ref>{{cite book|author1=U.S. Department of Agriculture|url=http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/PolicyDoc/PolicyDoc.pdf|title=Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010|author2=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services|date=December 2010|isbn=978-0-16-087941-8|edition=7th|page=22|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |oclc=738512922|author-link1=United States Department of Agriculture|author-link2=United States Department of Health and Human Services|access-date=23 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206111821/http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/PolicyDoc/PolicyDoc.pdf|archive-date=6 February 2011}}</ref> The [[American Heart Association]] recommends no more than 1.5&nbsp;g of sodium per day.<ref>{{cite web|date=2016|title=How much sodium should I eat per day?|url=http://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/sodium-411/how-much-sodium-do-you-need/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928045342/http://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/sodium-411/how-much-sodium-do-you-need/|archive-date=28 September 2016|access-date=15 October 2016|publisher=American Heart Association}}</ref>

The committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium, which is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, has determined that there isn't enough evidence from research studies to establish Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) values for sodium. As a result, the committee has established Adequate Intake (AI) levels instead, as follows. The sodium AI for infants of 0–6 months is established at 110&nbsp;mg/day, 7–12 months: 370&nbsp;mg/day; for children 1–3 years: 800&nbsp;mg/day, 4–8 years: 1,000&nbsp;mg/day; for adolescents: 9–13 years – 1,200&nbsp;mg/day, 14–18 years 1,500&nbsp;mg/day; for adults regardless of their age or sex: 1,500&nbsp;mg/day.<ref>{{cite book|isbn=978-0-309-48834-1|department=National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine|year=2019|title=Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium|location=Washington, DC|publisher=The National Academies Press|doi=10.17226/25353|pmid=30844154 |bibcode=2019nap..book25353N |editor-last1=Stallings |editor-last2=Harrison |editor-last3=Oria |editor-first1=Virginia A. |editor-first2=Meghan |editor-first3=Maria }}</ref>

Sodium chloride ({{chem2|NaCl}}) contains approximately 39.34% of its total mass as elemental sodium ({{chem2|Na}}). This means that {{Val|1|u=gram}} of sodium chloride contains approximately {{Val|393.4|u=mg}} of elemental sodium.<ref name="elemental">{{Cite web |url=https://www.chemicalaid.com/tools/molarmass.php?formula=NaCl&hl=en |title=NaCl (Sodium Chloride) Molar Mass |access-date=18 March 2024 |archive-date=18 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318225521/https://www.chemicalaid.com/tools/molarmass.php?formula=NaCl&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> For example, to find out how much sodium chloride contains 1500&nbsp;mg of elemental sodium (the value of 1500&nbsp;mg sodium is the adequate intake (AI) for an adult), we can use the proportion:
:393.4 mg Na : 1000 mg NaCl = 1500 mg Na : x mg NaCl
Solving for ''x'' gives us the amount of sodium chloride that contains 1500&nbsp;mg of elemental sodium
:x = (1500 mg Na × 1000 mg NaCl) / 393.4 mg Na = 3812.91 mg
This mean that 3812.91&nbsp;mg of sodium chloride contain 1500&nbsp;mg of elemental sodium.<ref name="elemental"/>

==== High sodium consumption ====
{{Main|Health effects of salt}}
High sodium consumption is unhealthy, and can lead to alteration in the mechanical performance of the heart.<ref name="Patel-2020">{{Cite journal|last1=Patel|first1=Yash|last2=Joseph|first2=Jacob|date=2020-12-13|title=Sodium Intake and Heart Failure|journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences|volume=21|issue=24|page=9474|doi=10.3390/ijms21249474|issn=1422-0067|pmc=7763082|pmid=33322108|doi-access=free}}</ref> High sodium consumption is also associated with [[chronic kidney disease]], [[high blood pressure]], [[cardiovascular disease]]s, and [[stroke]].<ref name="Patel-2020" />

===== High blood pressure =====
There is a strong correlation between higher sodium intake and higher blood pressure.<ref>{{cite web|last=CDC|date=2018-02-28|title=The links between sodium, potassium, and your blood pressure|url=https://www.cdc.gov/salt/research_reviews/sodium_potassium_blood_pressure.htm|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|language=en-us|archive-date=17 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117045956/https://www.cdc.gov/salt/research_reviews/sodium_potassium_blood_pressure.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Studies have found that lowering sodium intake by 2&nbsp;g per day tends to lower [[systolic blood pressure]] by about two to four mm&nbsp;Hg.<ref name="Impact">{{cite journal|pmid=15369026|date=2004|last1=Geleijnse|first1=J. M.|last2=Kok|first2=F. J.|last3=Grobbee|first3=D. E.|title=Impact of dietary and lifestyle factors on the prevalence of hypertension in Western populations|volume=14|issue=3|pages=235–239|journal=European Journal of Public Health|doi=10.1093/eurpub/14.3.235|doi-access=free|url=https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/12616/grobbee_05_impactofdietaryandlifestylefactors.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}}</ref> It has been estimated that such a decrease in sodium intake would lead to 9–17% fewer cases of [[hypertension]].<ref name="Impact" />

Hypertension causes 7.6 million premature deaths worldwide each year.<ref>{{cite journal|pmid=18456100|date=2008|last1=Lawes|first1=C. M.|last2=Vander Hoorn|first2=S.|last3=Rodgers|first3=A.|author4=International Society of Hypertension|title=Global burden of blood-pressure-related disease, 2001|volume=371|issue=9623|pages=1513–1518|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60655-8|journal=Lancet|url=http://www.worldactiononsalt.com/docs/news/2008/60532.pdf|access-date=25 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026130602/http://www.worldactiononsalt.com/docs/news/2008/60532.pdf|archive-date=26 October 2015|citeseerx=10.1.1.463.887|s2cid=19315480}}</ref> Since edible salt contains about 39.3% sodium<ref>{{cite book|author=Armstrong, James |title=General, Organic, and Biochemistry: An Applied Approach |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bcU8AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA48 |date=2011 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-1-133-16826-3 |pages=48–}}</ref>—the rest being chlorine and trace chemicals; thus, 2.3&nbsp;g sodium is about 5.9&nbsp;g, or 5.3&nbsp;ml, of salt—about one [[US teaspoon]].<ref>[http://www.traditionaloven.com/culinary-arts/cooking/table-salt/convert-gram-g-to-tea-spoon-tsp.html Table Salt Conversion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923113351/http://www.traditionaloven.com/culinary-arts/cooking/table-salt/convert-gram-g-to-tea-spoon-tsp.html |date=23 September 2014 }}. Traditionaloven.com. Retrieved on 11 November 2015.</ref><ref name="fda">{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/ucm315393.htm|title=Use the Nutrition Facts Label to Reduce Your Intake of Sodium in Your Diet|date=3 January 2018|publisher=US Food and Drug Administration|access-date=2 February 2018|archive-date=25 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015301/https://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ucm315393.htm}}</ref>

One scientific review found that people with or without hypertension who excreted less than 3 grams of sodium per day in their urine (and therefore were taking in less than 3&nbsp;g/d) had a ''higher'' risk of death, stroke, or heart attack than those excreting 4 to 5 grams per day.<ref name="Andrew Mente-2016" /> Levels of 7&nbsp;g per day or more in people with hypertension were associated with higher mortality and cardiovascular events, but this was not found to be true for people without [[hypertension]].<ref name="Andrew Mente-2016">{{cite journal|author1=Andrew Mente|display-authors=etal|title=Associations of urinary sodium excretion with cardiovascular events in individuals with and without hypertension: a pooled analysis of data from four studies|journal=The Lancet|date=2016|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30467-6|pmid=27216139|volume=388|issue=10043|pages=465–75|hdl=10379/16625|s2cid=44581906|url=https://repositorio.udes.edu.co/handle/001/3453|hdl-access=free|access-date=10 March 2023|archive-date=6 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106174547/https://repositorio.udes.edu.co/handle/001/3453|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Food and Drug Administration|US FDA]] states that adults with hypertension and prehypertension should reduce daily sodium intake to 1.5&nbsp;g.<ref name="fda" />

==== Physiology ====
The [[renin–angiotensin system]] regulates the amount of fluid and sodium concentration in the body. Reduction of blood pressure and sodium concentration in the kidney result in the production of [[renin]], which in turn produces [[aldosterone]] and [[angiotensin]], which stimulates the reabsorption of sodium back into the bloodstream. When the concentration of sodium increases, the production of renin decreases, and the sodium concentration returns to normal.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McGuire|first1=Michelle|last2=Beerman|first2=Kathy A.|title=Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food|url=https://archive.org/details/nutritionalscien00mich|url-access=limited|date=2011|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-324-59864-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/nutritionalscien00mich/page/n576 546]|oclc=472704484}}</ref> The sodium ion (Na<sup>+</sup>) is an important electrolyte in [[neuron]] function, and in osmoregulation between cells and the [[extracellular fluid]]. This is accomplished in all animals by [[Na+/K+-ATPase|Na<sup>+</sup>/K<sup>+</sup>-ATPase]], an active transporter pumping ions against the gradient, and sodium/potassium channels.<ref>{{cite book|last=Campbell|first=Neil|title=Biology|date=1987|isbn=978-0-8053-1840-1|page=795|publisher=Benjamin/Cummings}}</ref> The difference in extracellular and intracellular ion concentration, maintained by the sodium-potassium pump, produce electrical signals in the form of [[action potential]]s that supports cardiac muscle contraction and promote long-distance communication between neurons.<ref name="Gagnon 2021" /> Sodium is the most prevalent metallic ion in extracellular fluid.<ref>{{cite book|last=Srilakshmi|first=B.|title=Nutrition Science|date=2006|publisher=New Age International|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f_i7j4_cMLIC&pg=PA318|isbn=978-81-224-1633-6|edition=2nd|page=318|oclc=173807260|access-date=8 January 2016|archive-date=1 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201224412/https://books.google.com/books?id=f_i7j4_cMLIC&pg=PA318|url-status=live}}</ref>

In humans, unusually low or high sodium levels in the blood is recognized in medicine as [[hyponatremia]] and [[hypernatremia]]. These conditions may be caused by genetic factors, ageing, or prolonged vomiting or diarrhea.<ref>
{{cite book
|last1=Pohl
|first1=Hanna R.
|last2=Wheeler
|first2=John S.
|first3=H. Edward
|last3=Murray
|editor=Astrid Sigel
|editor2=Helmut Sigel
|editor3=Roland K. O. Sigel
|title=Interrelations between Essential Metal Ions and Human Diseases
|series=Metal Ions in Life Sciences
|volume=13
|date=2013
|publisher=Springer
|pages=29–47
|doi=10.1007/978-94-007-7500-8_2
|pmid=24470088
|chapter=Sodium and Potassium in Health and Disease
|isbn=978-94-007-7499-5
}}
</ref>

=== Biological role in plants ===
In [[C4 plants]], sodium is a [[micronutrient]] that aids metabolism, specifically in regeneration of [[phosphoenolpyruvic acid|phosphoenolpyruvate]] and synthesis of [[chlorophyll]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kering|first=M. K.|url=https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/7201/research.pdf?sequence=3|title=Manganese Nutrition and Photosynthesis in NAD-malic enzyme C4 plants PhD dissertation|publisher=University of Missouri-Columbia|date=2008|access-date=9 November 2011|archive-date=25 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425152651/https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/7201/research.pdf?sequence=3|url-status=live}}</ref> In others, it substitutes for [[potassium]] in several roles, such as maintaining [[turgor pressure]] and aiding in the opening and closing of [[stoma]]ta.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Subbarao|first1=G. V.|last2=Ito|first2=O.|last3=Berry|first3=W. L.|last4=Wheeler|first4=R. M.|title=Sodium—A Functional Plant Nutrient|journal=Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences| volume=22| pages=391–416| date=2003|doi=10.1080/07352680390243495|issue=5|bibcode=2003CRvPS..22..391S |s2cid=85111284}}</ref> Excess sodium in the soil can limit the uptake of water by decreasing the [[water potential]], which may result in plant wilting; excess concentrations in the [[cytoplasm]] can lead to enzyme inhibition, which in turn causes necrosis and chlorosis.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Zhu|first1=J. K.|title=Plant salt tolerance|journal=Trends in Plant Science|volume=6|issue=2|pages=66–71|date=2001|pmid=11173290|doi=10.1016/S1360-1385(00)01838-0|bibcode=2001TPS.....6...66Z }}</ref>

In response, some plants have developed mechanisms to limit sodium uptake in the roots, to store it in cell [[vacuole]]s, and restrict salt transport from roots to leaves.<ref name="halo">{{cite web|url=http://www.plant-biology.com/salt-ion-toxicity.php|title=Plants and salt ion toxicity|publisher=Plant Biology|access-date=2 November 2010|archive-date=3 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403032507/http://www.plant-biology.com/salt-ion-toxicity.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Excess sodium may also be stored in old plant tissue, limiting the damage to new growth. [[Halophytes]] have adapted to be able to flourish in sodium rich environments.<ref name="halo" />

==Safety and precautions==
{{Chembox
| container_only = yes
|Section7={{Chembox Hazards
| ExternalSDS =
| GHSPictograms = {{GHS02}}{{GHS05}}
| GHSSignalWord = Danger
| HPhrases = {{H-phrases|260|314}}
| PPhrases = {{P-phrases|223|231+232|280|305+351+338|370+378|422}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/262714|title=Sodium 262714|website=Sigma-Aldrich|access-date=1 October 2018|archive-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115025601/http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/262714|url-status=live}}</ref>
| NFPA-H = 3
| NFPA-F = 1
| NFPA-R = 2
| NFPA-S = w
| NFPA_ref =<ref>[http://www.ehs.neu.edu/laboratory_safety/general_information/nfpa_hazard_rating/documents/NFPAratingSZ.htm Hazard Rating Information for NFPA Fire Diamonds] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217135922/http://www.ehs.neu.edu/laboratory_safety/general_information/nfpa_hazard_rating/documents/NFPAratingSZ.htm |date=17 February 2015 }}. Ehs.neu.edu. Retrieved on 11 November 2015.</ref>
 }}
}}
Sodium forms flammable hydrogen and caustic [[sodium hydroxide]] on contact with water;<ref>{{cite book |author1-link=Robert Angelici | author= Angelici, R. J.|title= Synthesis and Technique in Inorganic Chemistry |publisher = University Science Books |place = Mill Valley, CA | date = 1999 | isbn = 978-0-935702-48-4}}</ref> ingestion and contact with moisture on skin, eyes or [[mucous membrane]]s can cause severe burns.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="prudent">{{cite book |title=Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals |year=1995 |url=https://archive.org/details/prudentpractices00coun_887 |url-access=limited |author1=((U.S. National Research Council Committee on Prudent Practices for Handling, Storage, and Disposal of Chemicals in Laboratories)) |publisher=National Academies |page=[https://archive.org/details/prudentpractices00coun_887/page/n403 390]|isbn=978-0-309-05229-0}}</ref> Sodium spontaneously explodes in the presence of water due to the formation of hydrogen (highly explosive) and sodium hydroxide (which dissolves in the water, liberating more surface). However, sodium exposed to air and ignited or reaching autoignition (reported to occur when a molten pool of sodium reaches about {{cvt|290|C|disp=comma}})<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~pbs/2013-An-et-al-FSJ.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808160323/http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~pbs/2013-An-et-al-FSJ.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2017 |title=Suppression of sodium fires with liquid nitrogen |journal=Fire Safety Journal |last1=An |first1=Deukkwang |last2=Sunderland |first2=Peter B. |last3=Lathrop |first3=Daniel P. |date=2013 |volume=58 |pages=204–207|doi=10.1016/j.firesaf.2013.02.001 |bibcode=2013FirSJ..58..204A }}</ref> displays a relatively mild fire.

In the case of massive (non-molten) pieces of sodium, the reaction with oxygen eventually becomes slow due to formation of a protective layer.<ref>{{Cite report |title=Behaviour in the Atmosphere of the Aerosol from a Sodium Fire |first1=W. S.|last1=Clough |first2=J. A.|last2=Garland |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information |date=1 July 1970 |osti = 4039364}}</ref> [[Fire extinguisher]]s based on water accelerate sodium fires. Those based on carbon dioxide and [[bromochlorodifluoromethane]] should not be used on sodium fire.<ref name="prudent" /> Metal fires are [[Fire extinguisher|Class D]], but not all Class D extinguishers are effective when used to extinguish sodium fires. An effective extinguishing agent for sodium fires is Met-L-X.<ref name="prudent" /> Other effective agents include Lith-X, which has [[graphite]] powder and an [[organophosphate]] [[flame retardant]], and dry sand.<ref>{{cite book|title=Industrial fire prevention and protection|last= Ladwig|first=Thomas H.|publisher=Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1991|isbn=978-0-442-23678-6|page=178|year= 1991}}</ref>

Sodium fires are prevented in nuclear reactors by isolating sodium from oxygen with surrounding pipes containing inert gas.<ref name="fission">{{cite book|title=Sustainable and Safe Nuclear Fission Energy: Technology and Safety of Fast and Thermal Nuclear Reactors|author=Günter Kessler|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media, 2012|isbn=978-3-642-11990-3|page=446|edition=illustrated|date=8 May 2012}}</ref> Pool-type sodium fires are prevented using diverse design measures called catch pan systems. They collect leaking sodium into a leak-recovery tank where it is isolated from oxygen.<ref name="fission" />

Liquid sodium fires are more dangerous to handle than solid sodium fires, particularly if there is insufficient experience with the safe handling of molten sodium. In a technical report for the [[United States Fire Administration]],<ref name=":0">{{cite tech report|first=Routley J.|last=Gordon|title=Sodium explosion critically burns firefighters, Newton, Massachusetts|number=75|institution=[[United States Fire Administration]]|date=1993-10-25 }}</ref> R. J. Gordon writes (emphasis in original)

{{blockquote|Molten sodium is <u>extremely</u> dangerous because it is much more reactive than a solid mass. In the liquid form, every sodium atom is free and mobile to instantaneously combine with any available oxygen atom or other oxidizer, and any gaseous by-product will be created as a rapidly expanding gas bubble within the molten mass. Even a minute amount of water can create this type of reaction. Any amount of water introduced into a pool of molten sodium is likely to cause a violent explosion inside the liquid mass, releasing the hydrogen as a rapidly expanding gas and causing the molten sodium to erupt from the container.

When molten sodium is involved in a fire, the combustion occurs at the surface of the liquid. An inert gas, such as nitrogen or argon, can be used to form an inert layer over the pool of burning liquid sodium, but the gas must be applied very gently and contained over the surface. Except for soda ash, most of the powdered agents that are used to extinguish small fires in solid pieces or shallow pools will sink to the bottom of a molten mass of burning sodium – the sodium will float to the top and continue to burn. If the burning sodium is in a container, it may be feasible to extinguish the fire by placing a lid on the container to exclude oxygen.}}

==See also==
{{Subject bar
|portal=Chemistry
|book1=Sodium
|book2=Period 3 elements
|book3=Alkali metals
|book4=Chemical elements (sorted&nbsp;alphabetically)
|book5=Chemical elements (sorted by number)
|commons=y
|wikt=y
|wikt-search=sodium
|v=y
|v-search=Sodium atom
|b=y
|b-search=Wikijunior:The Elements/Sodium
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{Greenwood&Earnshaw2nd}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.periodicvideos.com/videos/011.htm Sodium] at ''[[The Periodic Table of Videos]]'' (University of Nottingham)
* [http://www.balashon.com/2008/07/neter-and-nitrogen.html Etymology of "natrium" – source of symbol Na]
* [http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/011/index.html The Wooden Periodic Table Table's Entry on Sodium]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070712011829/http://ie.lbl.gov/education/parent/Na_iso.htm Sodium isotopes data from ''The Berkeley Laboratory Isotopes Project's'']
{{clear}}
{{Periodic table (navbox)}}
{{Sodium compounds}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sodium| ]]
[[Category:Chemical elements]]
[[Category:Alkali metals]]
[[Category:Desiccants]]
[[Category:Dietary minerals]]
[[Category:Reducing agents]]
[[Category:Nuclear reactor coolants]]
[[Category:Chemical elements with body-centered cubic structure]]