[70] The high boiling point of sodium allows the reactor to operate at ambient (normal) pressure,[70] but the drawbacks include its opacity, which hinders visual maintenance, and its explosive properties. 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. [71] Radioactive sodium-24 may be produced by neutron bombardment during operation, posing a slight radiation hazard; the radioactivity stops within a few days after removal from the reactor. They have 30-66% less sodium than regular table or sea salt. In medieval Europe, a compound of sodium with the Latin name of sodanum was used as a headache remedy. As calcium is less electropositive than sodium, no calcium will be deposited at the cathode. [78], The U.S. Institute of Medicine set its Tolerable Upper Intake Level for sodium at 2.3 grams per day,[79] but the average person in the United States consumes 3.4 grams per day. Now let’s look at table salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride. Sodium not only helps your body keep fluids in all the right places, but also aids in nerve conduction and helps your muscles work. With it’s bad rap, you may be surprised to learn that you can’t live without sodium. [99][100] 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). [62] By itself or with potassium, sodium is a desiccant; it gives an intense blue coloration with benzophenone when the desiccate is dry. Sodium hydroxide is neutralized with hydrochloric acid to produce the soluble salt sodium chloride in solution. 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), sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, "Atomic weights of the elements 2013 (IUPAC Technical Report)", Magnetic susceptibility of the elements and inorganic compounds, "Determination of Sodium with Ion-Selective Electrodes", "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", "Chemische Analyse durch Spectralbeobachtungen", "How surface composition and meteoroid impacts mediate sodium and potassium in the lunar exosphere", 10.1002/0471238961.1915040912051311.a01.pub3, "Los Alamos National Laboratory – Sodium", American Society for Testing and Materials, "Laser Development for Sodium Laser Guide Stars at ESO", "Über das Zustandsdiagramm der Kalium-Natriumlegierungen", "Sodium and Potassium Quick Health Facts", U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "Impact of dietary and lifestyle factors on the prevalence of hypertension in Western populations", "Global burden of blood-pressure-related disease, 2001", "Use the Nutrition Facts Label to Reduce Your Intake of Sodium in Your Diet", "Manganese Nutrition and Photosynthesis in NAD-malic enzyme C4 plants PhD dissertation", Hazard Rating Information for NFPA Fire Diamonds, http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~pbs/2013-An-et-al-FSJ.pdf, Etymology of "natrium" – source of symbol Na, The Wooden Periodic Table Table's Entry on Sodium, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sodium&oldid=995044991, Biology and pharmacology of chemical elements, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 December 2020, at 22:51.