Sodium-23

Sodium The element symbol for sodium is "NA" and the atomic number for sodium is 11. The atomic mass of sodium is 23. The atomic mass is the number that represents protons and neutrons. If you subtract the atomic number from the atomic mass, you get the number of neutrons. The classification of sodium is an "Alkali metal". Sodium has a density of 0.968 grams per cm3. Sodium floats on water and can explode when mixed with water. There are 11 protons, 11 electrons, 12 neutrons in sodium. There are three energy shells and in the first energy shell there are 2 electrons, in the second there are 8 electrons, and in the third there is 1 electron. Sodium can be combined with chlorine to make table salt, which is found in butter, and many other foods containing natural salt. The combination of sodium and chlorine makes "sodium chloride", which makes these foods. Sodium is a stable isotope. Sodium's symbol is Na, and it stands for the Latin word “natrium” meaning sodium carbonate. Even though some people think of sodium as just regular salt, the actual element sodium is highly reactive to water and reacts by igniting. As a metal, it is soft, light, and malleable. Sodium is a metal and is a good conductor of heat and electricity. The color of sodium is silvery white. Humphry Davy discovered sodium in 1807. He also discovered calcium, potassium, and boron.



Figure 1- This is sodium in it's pure element form. It is a metal.



Figure 2: This is sodium after it has been combined with chlorine and it has been made into a salt.

Figure 3: The Play-Dough Model of a Sodium atom The pink balls represent the neutrons and the green balls represent the protons making up the nucleus. The small blue balls on the sides of the nucleus are the electrons inside the energy shells. media type="file" key="elk_sodium.wmv"