Hi All,

What's the best laboratory method to produce Na(Sodium) by itself
either from common salt or some other forms.

I hope someone among you has done some kind of experiment of similar
kind even though its a physics group and not a chemistry group.

Thanks,
max.

max wrote:

Hi All,

What's the best laboratory method to produce Na(Sodium) by itself
either from common salt or some other forms.

I hope someone among you has done some kind of experiment of similar
kind even though its a physics group and not a chemistry group.

You buy it. Metallic sodium is cheap. Production by DC electrolysis
of a molten NaCl eutectic is complicated because the molten sodium
floats on the molten salt, reacting with the atmosphere.

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" The Net!

In sci.physics, max

wrote
on 29 Oct 2003 16:06:39 -0800
:
Hi All,

What's the best laboratory method to produce Na(Sodium) by itself
either from common salt or some other forms.

Assuming you actually have the equipment handy to construct a
"Downs Cell", as mentioned in

http://www.webelements.com/webelemen...xt/Na/key.html

(near the bottom), which among other things requires
580 deg C and possibly a vacuum and/or inert atmosphere
(I'd have to look), that might be your best bet, but why
bother? You can probably buy it by the ton -- pelletized,
apparently, for your protection. :-) Remember that
pure sodium metal is highly reactive with air and water.
It would probably blow up in a nasty fashion. More details
are available at

http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/msds/msd...199/m99309.htm

although much of this page is fairly cryptic for those "not
in the know", such as myself, although some of the stuff
is pretty obvious; in particular, putting water
on a sodium fire is an extremely bad idea.

However, the Web is being slightly reticent beyond suggesting that
one research the "alkali metals market" (a logical enough name
for the market). Or perhaps you can contact Central Scientific
directly?

Consider yourself warned; this is not the safest of stuff.

Chlorine is highly poisonous, and is *gaseous*.

http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/msds/msd...33/m166111.htm

Common table salt, however, is easy to handle. :-) At
worst, one might have to keep it dry (mostly because
it dissolves in water so readily). I'll admit to some
interest in what happens during electrolysis of salty
water, but my guess is that one gets chlorine and oxygen
evolving from one terminal, hydrogen from the other, and
the solution turns basic (lye) -- but fume hoods should
be standard procedure for such. :-)

http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/msds/msdsdod/a93/m46283.htm

(one of a number, and probably typical)


I hope someone among you has done some kind of experiment of similar
kind even though its a physics group and not a chemistry group.

Thanks,
max.


--
#191,
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