Sodium information, including safety data and its properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
Sodium is primarily used in its metallic form in the production of chemical esters and in the manufacturing of various other organic compounds. The metal is used in the alloy of tin, nickel and copper for its structural characteristics. Sodium is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder. High purity sodium compounds are used as reducing agents. Sodium compounds are used in low tech applications throughout industry. Sodium facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Sodium is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries. Sodium is a Block S, Group 1, Period 3 element. The electronic configuration is [Ne] 3s1. In its elemental form sodium's CAS number is 7440-23-5. The sodium atom has a radius of 185.8.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 227.pm.All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology advantages. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Sodium compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis. Sodium was first discovered by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1807.
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of sodium and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope. |
sodium
Natrium
sodio
Sódio 
sodio 
Natrium
Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
Na-23 |
22.9897697 |
100 |
Safety Data. The safety data for sodium metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for sodium (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table: |
1st Ionization Energy |
495.85 kJ mol-1 |
2nd Ionization Energy |
4562.48 kJ mol-1 |
3rd Ionization Energy |
6910.33 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to sodium's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 4.2 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 0.93. The thermal conductivity of sodium is 141 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for sodium are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization. |
Heat of Fusion |
2.64 kJ mol-1 |
Heat of Vaporization |
99.2 kJ mol-1 |
Heat of Atomization |
107.566 kJ mol-1 |
| Formula | Atomic Number | Molecular Weight | Electronegativity (Pauling) | Density | Melting Point | Boiling Point |
Vanderwaals radius |
Ionic radius | Energy of first ionization |
| Na | 11 | 22.98977 g.mol -1 | 0.9 | 0.97 g.cm-3 at 20 °C | 97.5 °C | 883 °C | 227.pm | 0.095 (+1) nm | 495.85 kJ.mol-1 |
| PRODUCT CATALOG | UK Operations | Submicron & Nanopowder | Tolling | Ultra High Purity | Sputtering Target | Crystal Growth | Rod, Plate, Powder, etc. | Foil |
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