Obtaining sodium

[BigMoosie]

Hi, how does one go about getting a sample of sodium element? It only has to be pure enough to have some fun with in water . I read something a while back about heating to 500 degrees C in Argon, that doesnt sound like I would be able to do that. Does anybody know of a simple method other than purchasing it?

[budullewraagh]

heating what to 500 celsius in argon?

 

electrolyze fused sodium hydroxide. or you could do reduction of the carbonate with finely divided magnesium or aluminum at very high temperatures

[jdurg]

All the while doing this under argon as the Na that forms will be in a molten state which will GREATLY intensify its reactivity, and if there's oxygen in the area it may very well catch fire. If there's any humidity in the air, it will react instantly with that as well. Frankly, it's easier and cheaper to just buy it.

[budullewraagh]

well, i have to say, i've heard of people doing this many times without failure. i wouldn't say cheaper, as NaOH is dirt cheap and it doesn't take that much current to electrolyze the hydroxide

[H2SO4]

ya, but you probaly need a good blowtorch.

[BigMoosie]

I doubt I will be able to do this, I'm living in an ordianary home and have no access to anything other than the average kid. Thanks though.

 

heating what to 500 celsius in argon?

 

Sorry, sodium chloride.

[jdurg]

It's kind of an unfortuneate trade off. In order for metals like sodium and potassium to be so much fun when reacting with water, they have to be kind of hard to obtain in a pure form. If they didn't react as readily with water, then they'd be easier to make in their pure form. Kind of a catch-22 there.

[akcapr]

ya, and things realatively unreactive like silver and gold are hard to find because they are so minutely prsenet in the earth.

[budullewraagh]

"Sorry, sodium chloride."

NaCl at 500 celsius in argon wouldn't work. now, if you ran a current through it at such temps, it would yield chlorine gas and sodium metal

[BigMoosie]

"Sorry' date=' sodium chloride."

NaCl at 500 celsius in argon wouldn't work. now, if you ran a current through it at such temps, it would yield chlorine gas and sodium metal[/quote']

 

I thought that covalent bonds usually required currents. Would you mind explaining what happens as the current is sent throught the substance?

 

EDIT: wait... i think I did this in chemistry, would that mean that the chlorine atoms become ions?

[budullewraagh]

the forces holding NaCl together are all electrostatic. no covalent bonds. the current reduces the Na+ and oxidizes the Cl-

[BigMoosie]

Wait... arent the two half equations:

 

[math]Na^{1+} + e^{1-} \rightarrow Na[/math]

 

and

 

[math]Cl^{1-} \rightarrow Cl+ e^{1-}[/math]

 

What happens to the electricity you send to it?

 

Is electrostatic synonymous with ionic? Or am I totally off track?

[budullewraagh]

the current causes the oxidation/reduction reactions to occur. electrostatic forces are the forces that attract opposite charges. ionic "bonds" are the result of strong electrostatic forces between ions.