A decrease in sodium intake would lead to fewer cases of hypertension.

It is extensively used in metallurgy as a deoxidant and as a reducing agent for the preparation of zirconium, calcium, titanium, and other transition metals.Īccording to The US Institute of Medicine, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for sodium is 2.3 grams per day.

It is also used in the purification of hydrocarbons and in the polymerization of unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Significant amounts of sodium are used to produce synthetic detergents, dyes, intermediates of dye and perfumes.

Salts of sodium decrease the salinity of soil by replacing calcium and other ions in clay and transform the clay to a sticky mass. It is involved in synthesis of chlorophyll, opening and closing of stomata, and helps in uptake of water. In plants, sodium is a micronutrient which helps in metabolism.

Sodium Chloride is daily used as seasoning and preservative in diet.

Around 500mg of sodium is the minimum physiological requirement per day of human body.

It helps in the regulation of blood pressure, blood volume, osmotic equilibrium and pH.

Sodium is one of the most essential elements for life, as sodium and potassium keep a definite balance within the cell and are involved in maintaining an electrolyte balance across the cell membranes.

The precious metals, such as gold, silver, forms alloy with liquid sodium. Organic acids also react with sodium to form sodium salts. With liquid ammonia sodium reacts to give blue colored solutions forming sodamide, but the reaction is quite slow. It is relatively less reactive with carbon, but at 625☌ it reacts with carbon monoxide forming sodium carbide and sodium carbonate. With strong mineral acids, sodium reacts to form their salts, for example with nitric acid it yields sodium nitrate and with sulfuric acids it forms sodium sulfate. hydrofluoric and hydrochloric acid react vigorously with sodium forming sodium halides. Sodium reacts with halogens under certain conditions to produce light.

In presence of air, sodium hydroxide film absorbs carbon dioxide, and lead to the formation of sodium bicarbonate. It is highly reactive in air and forms sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which is a strong base on reaction with water. It burns at a temperature more than 800 ☌ (1,500 ☏). Sodium and its compounds give yellow color to the flame which is the basic analytical test for sodium. the emission of electrons when exposed to light. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity and exhibits the photoelectric effect i.e. In air it reacts with oxygen forming grayish white sodium oxide, so it is stored in an inert liquid such as kerosene or in nitrogen gas as it does not react with nitrogen.

At room temperature Sodium is soft, silvery-white metal which can be easily cut with a knife. It is placed in group 1 of periodic table as it has a single electron in its outer most shell that it readily donates, creating a positively charged ion, the Na+ cation.

Sodium has an atomic number of 1 and atomic mass of 22.98. Sodium is also found in the spectra of stars in both atomic and ionic forms, including the Sun, and the interstellar medium. Sodium is found in many minerals, including halite (highly soluble), Amphibole (less soluble), zeolite (less soluble), cryolite (insoluble) and feldspar (insoluble). It is never found as a pure element due to its high reactivity. About 1.08×104 milligrams per liter of sodium is estimated to be present in ocean water in the form of brine. The Earth’s crust contains around 2.27 % of sodium. Sodium is the seventh most abundant element and fifth most abundant metal on the earth. Its chemical abbreviation ‘Na’ was published in the system of atomic symbols in 1814 which is derived from its Latin name ‘natrium’. In 1809, Ludwig Wilhelm, a German physicist and chemist, proposed the name Natronium for it. The metal was first isolated in 1807, through the electrolysis of sodium hydroxide by Sir Humphry Davy. Sodium in the form of salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) and soda (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3) have been known since prehistoric times The name of element originated from Arabic word ‘suda’ which means headache, as the association of sodium with headache was known in early times. Sodium is an essential micronutrient for plants and animals and is used in various industries.

It was isolated for the first time in 1807 by Humphry Davy. Sodium is an alkali metal that has been known since prehistoric times.

Na element group