Rob Posted March 16, 2009 Posted March 16, 2009 Ok, again, in my search for sodium, as my last thread was shut down by the moderator and i can't generate the heat needed to make Sodium from liquid Sodium Chloride, Is there any way of getting sodium (by SIMPLE electrolysis or anything else that doesn't need something more reactive than sodium to get rid of it) out of Sodium Hydroxide that i've obtained fro the electrolysis of aqueous Sodium Chloride? Cheers.
Theophrastus Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) In regards to this predicament, I'm sure you can obtain sodium, by means of an electrolysis of sodium hydroxide, obtaining sodium metal, at the negative electrode, and hydroxide anions on the positive electrode. Hope this helps, ,Theophrastus Edited March 17, 2009 by Theophrastus grammatical error...
hermanntrude Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 what you probably havent considered is the danger of melting sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is horribly caustic, causing very nasty burns to the skin. Melting it would mean you'd have liquid burning-stuff fizzing and bubbling under your nose at more than 300°C. The vapours would be very unpleasant. It'd also be much more reactive at such high temperatures. Just a drop of water might make it splatter everywhere. My advice is not to do this. But yes, in theory it could be done, with the appropriate apparatus, i think... although i'm not sure what would happen to your hydroxide ions.
Rob Posted March 17, 2009 Author Posted March 17, 2009 could you not just use Aqeuous Sodium Hydroxide? Wait, no, stupid question
Theophrastus Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 In regards to the hydroxide ions, I would imagine that one could safely dispose of them by then transfering the vapours into an appropriate solution, in which they might then react to form stable, insoluble hydroxides. As for your comment regarding the heat of the compound, you are right. I was thinking, in more of a hypothetical context. Hydroxide, is an ionic compound, and as such, would be expected to have a rather high boiling point. In regards to a more practical approach, I am at a bit of a loss. Could not one intermix another compound, perhaps some other alkali or alkali earth metal salt, to decrease the boiling point. (Granted that the question is, to what degree can this be done...) However this would leave you with an alloy of the two metals. Alkali metal alloys in particular, are infamous, due to their instability. Certainly a process that is neither easy, nor safe. -1
Rob Posted March 18, 2009 Author Posted March 18, 2009 is this with the NaOH dissolved in water or melted?
max.yevs Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 you need a very large voltage to keep Na from reacting back with the water. I could not get it done with magnesium.
UC Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=2103 http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=9797 </thread>
hermanntrude Posted March 24, 2009 Posted March 24, 2009 the only two remotely viable ways i know of to get sodium by electrolysis (which isn't magical or simple like every beginner seems to believe), are as follows: 1) use molten sodium chloride and try not to burn yourself to death 2) use a liquid mercury cathode with a concentrated solution of NaCl to give a very high overpotential for the chlorine and oxygen gases, making the sodium the most likely product, which conveniently dissolves in the mercury. All you have to deal with then is the separation of a highly toxic metal from another metal which causes burns and explodes on contact with water.
Rob Posted March 25, 2009 Author Posted March 25, 2009 hmmm ... for that you'd need one of those permeable diaphragms ... but i dont know where to get one.
hermanntrude Posted March 25, 2009 Posted March 25, 2009 personally, I believe that attempting to isolate metallic sodium is too dangerous to be attempted at home.
hermanntrude Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Rob do you know how many threads there are in this forum about some n00b wanting to make sodium so he can make girls like him? Use the search engine
salter Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 [ce]2Mg[/ce] + [ce]2NaOH[/ce] = [ce]2MgO[/ce] + [ce]2Na[/ce] + [ce]H2[/ce] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happens_when_magnesium_reacts_with_sodium_hydroxide
YT2095 Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 thread closed AGAIN. and if I have to close another one like this again, Infractions will be issued!
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