In chemistry, 'Na' is the chemical symbol for Sodium. The symbol comes from its Latin name, 'Natrium'. Sodium is an essential element, famous for being highly reactive and a primary component of table salt.
Sodium is a very soft metal; it can easily be cut with a standard butter knife.
Because of its high reactivity with oxygen and moisture in the air, sodium must be stored completely submerged in kerosene oil.
The atomic mass of Sodium is approximately 23 amu.
The atomic number of Na (Sodium) is 11.
This means that a neutral sodium atom contains exactly 11 protons in its nucleus and 11 electrons orbiting around it.
Because it has 11 electrons, they are distributed in the shells as follows:
Sodium belongs to Group 1 of the periodic table (Alkali Metals). Because it has exactly 1 valence electron in its outermost shell, it is desperately trying to give that electron away to achieve a stable, full outer shell (octet). This makes sodium extremely reactive. It reacts violently with water to form sodium hydroxide and highly flammable hydrogen gas.
Sodium (Na) gives its 1 outer electron to Chlorine (Cl), forming an ionic bond. This creates Sodium Chloride (NaCl), which is common table salt.
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