
Sodium element (Na) is in group 1 and period 3 of a periodic table. Sodium is in the s-block and it is classified as an alkali metal on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to sodium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Sodium element (Information Table)
- Sodium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Sodium
- Properties of Sodium
- Uses of Sodium
Sodium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to sodium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of sodium | Silvery white |
Atomic number of sodium | 11 |
Symbol of sodium | Na |
Atomic mass of sodium | 22.990 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in sodium | Protons: 11, Neutrons: 12, Electrons: 11 |
State of sodium (at STP) | Solid |
Group number of sodium in periodic table | 1 |
Period number of sodium in periodic table | 3 |
Block of sodium in periodic table | s-block |
Category of sodium | Alkali metal |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in sodium | 2, 8, 1 |
Electron configuration of sodium | [Ne] 3s1 |
Orbital diagram of sodium | ![]() |
Valence electrons in sodium | 1 |
Electronegativity of sodium (on pauling scale) | 0.93 |
Atomic radius of sodium (van der Waals radius) | 227 picometers |
Density of sodium | 0.97 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of sodium | 5.139 eV |
Main isotope of sodium | 23Na |
Melting point of sodium | 370.9 K or 97.7 °C or 208 °F |
Boiling point of sodium | 1156 K or 882.9 °C or 1621.2 °F |
Crystal structure of sodium | Body Centered Cubic (BCC) |
Discovery of sodium | By Humphry Davy in 1807 |
Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).
Sodium element in Periodic table
The Sodium element (Na) has the atomic number 11 and is located in group 1 and period 3. Sodium is in solid state at STP and it is classified as an alkali metal on the periodic table.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about sodium
Here are a few interesting facts about sodium element.
- Sodium is a soft metal and it can be cut with a knife.
- Sodium floats on water because it has less density than that of water.
- Sodium is also present in the human body, and it maintains the fluid balance in the body cells.
- Sodium is the most abundant alkali metal.
- Sodium is the 6th most abundant element found from the earth’s crust.
- Around 2.3% of the earth’s crust contains sodium element.
Properties of sodium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of sodium.
Physical properties of sodium
- Sodium is a soft metal having a silvery white appearance.
- It is soft metal and it can be cut with a knife.
- Sodium metal is a good conductor of electricity as it has only 1 valence electron.
- The melting point and boiling point of sodium are 97.7 °C and 882.9 °C respectively.
- There are many isotopes of sodium, but out of those isotopes, the most stable isotope is 23Na.
Chemical properties of sodium
- Sodium is a reactive metal and it forms an oxide layer if kept open in the air.
- As sodium is a reactive metal, it is not found in free state. But it is always found in the compound with other elements.
- When sodium metal is burnt in a flame, it produces a golden-yellow flame.
- The sodium has an electron configuration [Ne] 3s1 and it has only 1 valence electron.
- Sodium forms various compounds like NaCl, Na2CO3, NaOH, NaNO3, etc.
Uses of sodium
Here are some uses of the sodium element.
- Sodium is largely used in making NaCl, Na2CO3, NaOH and other useful compounds.
- Sodium bicarbonate is used in baking as well as in sodablasting.
- Sodium has a high thermal conductivity and so the liquid sodium metal is used as a heat transfer fluid in sodium-cooled fast reactors.
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