Chemistry Project Essay

Sodium (Na11)

Sodium is an element symbolled as “Na” with the atomic number of 11

and the atomic mass of exactly 22.989769. Since the atomic number is 11
then there are 11 electrons, 11 protons, and 12 neutrons. This leads to its
electron configuration be: 1s22s22p63s1. Meaning that the first shell which
is “1s” has 2 electrons. The second shell “2s and 2p” has 8 electrons. And
the last shell “3s” has one electron only.

Some of the interesting properties this element has is that it’s an alkali
metal which means it is a solid, good conductor of electricity and heat,
shiny, malleable, very soft, ductile, and has a silvery-white color. Although
what’s really interesting about it is that this element is highly reactive.
This is because it has only one electron in its outermost shell. For
example, if you put a small chunk of sodium in water it will result in a
really violent and mostly explosive reaction! That happens because the
electron in the outermost shell is being donated to the hydrogen ions in
the water, which leads to that reaction.

Sodium was discovered by Humphry David back in 1807 by the

electrolysis of sodium hydroxide. Sodium can mostly be found in nature
like in seawater, salty lakes, alkaline lakes, and mineral spring waters.
What’s useful in this element is that in some nuclear reactors, sodium is
utilized as a heat exchanger, and it is also used as a reagent in the
chemical industry. However, sodium salts are more useful than sodium
metal itself. The most prevalent sodium compound is sodium chloride
(common salt). In the winter, it is used to de-ice roads and added to food.