Sodium (Na)

Soft silvery reactive element belonging to group 1 of the periodic table (alkali metals). It is highly reactive, oxidizing in air and reacting violently with water, forcing it to be kept under oil. It was first isolated by Humphrey Davy in 1807.

Atomic Number	11
Atomic Weight	22.98976928
Mass Number	23

Group	1
Period	3
Block	s

Protons	11 p⁺
Neutrons	12 n⁰
Electrons	11 e^-

Properties

Energy
Atomic Radius	180 pm 225 pm
Molar Volume	23.7 cm³/mol
Covalent Radius	155 pm 160 pm 177 pm 166 pm
Metallic Radius	157 pm 190 pm
Ionic Radius	99 pm 100 pm 102 pm 112 pm 118 pm 124 pm 139 pm
Crystal Radius	113 pm 114 pm 116 pm 126 pm 132 pm 138 pm 153 pm
Van der Waals Radius	240 pm 227 pm 227 pm 270 pm 298.3 pm
Density	0.97 g/cm³ 927 kg/m³
Proton Affinity
Electron Affinity	0.547926 eV/particle
Ionization Energy	5.1390767 eV/particle 47.28636 eV/particle 71.62 eV/particle 98.936 eV/particle 138.4 eV/particle 172.228 eV/particle 208.5 eV/particle 264.192 eV/particle 299.86 eV/particle 1,465.13444 eV/particle 1,648.702 eV/particle

Heat of Vaporization	97.9 kJ/mol
Heat of Fusion	2.64 kJ/mol
Heat of Formation	107.5 kJ/mol
Electrons
Electron Shells	2, 8, 1

Valence Electrons	1

Electron Configuration	[Ne] 3s¹

Oxidation States	-1, 0, 1
Electronegativity	5.14 eV/particle 0.093214 0.93
Electrophilicity	0.8805526605183994 eV/particle
Phases
Phase	Solid
Gas Phase
Boiling Point	1,156.09 K
Melting Point	370.944 K
Critical Pressure	35 MPa
Critical Temperature	2,573.15 K
Triple Point
Visual
Color	Silver #0000ff #ab5cf2 #ab5cf2
Appearance	silvery white metallic
Refractive Index
Thermodynamic Properties
Thermal Conductivity	142 W/(m K)
Thermal Expansion	0.00007 1/K
Molar Heat Capacity	28.23 J/(mol K)
Specific Heat Capacity	1.228 J/(g⋅K)
Heat Capacity Ratio (Adiabatic Index)
Electrical Properties
Type	Conductor
Electrical Conductivity	21 MS/m
Electrical Resistivity	0.00000004699999999998 m Ω
Superconducting Point
Magnetism
Type	paramagnetic
Magnetic Susceptibility (Mass)	0.0000000088 m³/Kg
Magnetic Susceptibility (Molar)	0.0000000002 m³/mol
Magnetic Susceptibility (Volume)	0.0000086
Magnetic Ordering
Curie Point
Neel Point
Structure
Crystal Structure	Body Centered Cubic (BCC)
Lattice Constant	4.23 Å
Lattice Angles	π/2, π/2, π/2
Mechanical Properties
Hardness	0.69 MPa 0.5 MPa
Bulk Modulus	6.3 GPa
Shear Modulus	3.3 GPa
Young Modulus	10 GPa
Poisson Ratio
Speed of Sound	3,200 m/s
Classification
Category	Alkali metals, Alkali metals
CAS Group	IA
IUPAC Group	IA
Glawe Number	11
Mendeleev Number	2
Pettifor Number	11
Geochemical Class	major
Goldschmidt Class	litophile
Other
Gas Basicity
Dipole Polarizability	162.7 ± 0.5 a₀
C6 Dispersion Coefficient	1,518 a₀ 1,570 a₀
Allotropes
Neutron Cross Section	0.53
Neutron Mass Absorption	0.0007
Quantum Numbers	2S1/2
Space Group	229 (Im_3m)

Isotopes of Sodium

Stable Isotopes	1
Unstable Isotopes	22
Radioactive Isotopes	19

¹⁷Na

Abundance
Relative Atomic Mass	17.037273 ± 0.000064 Da
Mass Number	17
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	2017
Parity	+

¹⁷Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
p (proton emission)	100%

¹⁸Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	18.026879388 ± 0.000100785 Da
Mass Number	18
G-Factor
Half Life	1.3 ± 0.4 zs
Spin	1
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	2004
Parity	-

¹⁸Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
p (proton emission)	%

¹⁹Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	19.013880264 ± 0.000011309 Da
Mass Number	19
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1969
Parity	+

¹⁹Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
p (proton emission)	100%

²⁰Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	20.007354301 ± 0.00000119 Da
Mass Number	20
G-Factor	0.1847 ± 0.0001
Half Life	447.9 ± 2.3 ms
Spin	2
Quadrupole Moment	0.101 ± 0.008
Discovery Year	1950
Parity	+

²⁰Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%
β⁺α (β⁺-delayed α emission)	25%

²¹Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	20.997654459 ± 0.000000045 Da
Mass Number	21
G-Factor	1.5907333333333 ± 0.000026666666666667
Half Life	22.455 ± 0.0054 s
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment	0.138 ± 0.011
Discovery Year	1940
Parity	+

²¹Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%

²²Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	21.994437547 ± 0.000000141 Da
Mass Number	22
G-Factor	0.582 ± 0.001
Half Life	2.6019 ± 0.0006 y
Spin	3
Quadrupole Moment	0.18 ± 0.011
Discovery Year	1935
Parity	+

²²Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%
e⁺ (positron emission)	90.57%
ϵ (electron capture)	9.43%

²³Na

Abundance	100
Relative Atomic Mass	22.98976928195 ± 0.00000000194 Da
Mass Number	23
G-Factor	1.4783333333333 ± 0.00002
Half Life
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment	0.104 ± 0.001
Discovery Year	1921
Parity	+

²⁴Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	23.990963012 ± 0.000000017 Da
Mass Number	24
G-Factor	0.422575 ± 0.0002
Half Life	14.956 ± 0.0015 h
Spin	4
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1934
Parity	+

²⁴Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

²⁵Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	24.989953974 ± 0.000001288 Da
Mass Number	25
G-Factor	1.4732 ± 0.0016
Half Life	59.1 ± 0.6 s
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment	0.0015 ± 0.0003
Discovery Year	1943
Parity	+

²⁵Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

²⁶Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	25.992634649 ± 0.000003759 Da
Mass Number	26
G-Factor	0.95033333333333 ± 0.00066666666666667
Half Life	1,071.28 ± 0.25 ms
Spin	3
Quadrupole Moment	-0.0053 ± 0.0002
Discovery Year	1958
Parity	+

²⁶Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

²⁷Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	26.994076408 ± 0.000004 Da
Mass Number	27
G-Factor	1.558 ± 0.002
Half Life	301 ± 6 ms
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment	-0.0071 ± 0.0003
Discovery Year	1968
Parity	+

²⁷Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	0.098%

²⁸Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	27.998939 ± 0.000011 Da
Mass Number	28
G-Factor	2.426 ± 0.003
Half Life	33.1 ± 1.3 ms
Spin	1
Quadrupole Moment	0.389 ± 0.011
Discovery Year	1969
Parity	+

²⁸Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	0.58%

²⁹Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	29.002877091 ± 0.000007876 Da
Mass Number	29
G-Factor	1.6326666666667 ± 0.0053333333333333
Half Life	43.2 ± 0.4 ms
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment	0.085 ± 0.003
Discovery Year	1969
Parity	+

²⁹Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	22%
2n (2-neutron emission)	%

³⁰Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	30.009097931 ± 0.000005074 Da
Mass Number	30
G-Factor	1.0415 ± 0.005
Half Life	45.9 ± 0.7 ms
Spin	2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1969
Parity	+

³⁰Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	28.6%
2n (2-neutron emission)	1.24%
β⁻α (β⁻-delayed α emission)	5.5%

³¹Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	31.013146654 ± 0.000015 Da
Mass Number	31
G-Factor
Half Life	16.8 ± 0.3 ms
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1969
Parity	+

³¹Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	36%
2n (2-neutron emission)	0.73%
3n (3-neutron emission)	0.05%

³²Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	32.020011024 ± 0.00004 Da
Mass Number	32
G-Factor
Half Life	12.9 ± 0.3 ms
Spin	3
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1972
Parity	-

³²Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	26%
2n (2-neutron emission)	7.6%

³³Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	33.025529 ± 0.000483 Da
Mass Number	33
G-Factor
Half Life	8.2 ± 0.4 ms
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1972
Parity	+

³³Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	47%
2n (2-neutron emission)	13%

³⁴Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	34.03401 ± 0.0006435 Da
Mass Number	34
G-Factor
Half Life	5.5 ± 1 ms
Spin	1
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1983
Parity	+

³⁴Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
2n (2-neutron emission)	50%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	15%

³⁵Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	35.040614 ± 0.00072 Da
Mass Number	35
G-Factor
Half Life	1.5 ± 0.5 ms
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1983
Parity	+

³⁵Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	%
2n (2-neutron emission)	%

³⁶Na

Abundance
Relative Atomic Mass	36.049279 ± 0.000737 Da
Mass Number	36
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year
Parity

³⁶Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
n (neutron emission)	%

³⁷Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	37.057042 ± 0.000737 Da
Mass Number	37
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	2002
Parity	+

³⁷Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	%
2n (2-neutron emission)	%

³⁸Na

Abundance
Relative Atomic Mass	38.066458 ± 0.000768 Da
Mass Number	38
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year
Parity

³⁸Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
n (neutron emission)	%

³⁹Na

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	39.075123 ± 0.000797 Da
Mass Number	39
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	2019
Parity	+

³⁹Na Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	%
β⁻ n (β⁻-delayed neutron emission)	%
2n (2-neutron emission)	%

History

The chemical abbreviation for sodium was first published by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in his system of atomic symbols. It is a contraction of the element's new Latin name natrium, which refers to the Egyptian natron, a natural mineral salt primarily made of hydrated sodium carbonate. In 1807, Sir Humphry Davy isolated sodium for the first time by electrolysis of dried sodium hydroxide, which had been very slightly moistened. From the English word, soda; Medieval Latin, sodanum: a headache remedy

Discoverers	Sir Humphrey Davy
Discovery Location	England
Discovery Year	1807
Etymology (Name Origin)	Medieval Latin: sodanum, (headache remedy); symbol from Latin natrium, (sodium carbonate).
Pronunciation	SO-di-em (English)

Sodium metal should be handled with great care as it cannot be maintained in an inert atmosphere

Sodium burns in air with a brilliant yellow flame

Uses

Metallic sodium is vital in the manufacture of esters and in the preparation of organic compounds. Sodium vapor lamps are often used for street lighting in cities. Liquid sodium is used as a heat transfer fluid in some fast reactors. Sodium is also used as an alloying metal, an anti-scaling agent, and as a reducing agent for metals when other materials are ineffective. There are few uses for the pure metal, however its compounds are used in medicine, agriculture and photography. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is table salt. Liquid sodium is sometimes used to cool nuclear reactors.

Sources

Obtained by electrolysis of melted sodium chloride (salt), borax and cryolite.

Abundance
Abundance in Earth's crust	23,600 mg/kg
Abundance in Oceans	10,800 mg/L
Abundance in Human Body	0.14 %
Abundance in Meteor	0.55 %
Abundance in Sun	0.004 %
Abundance in Universe	0.002 %

Nuclear Screening Constants

1	s	0.3741
2	p	4.1982
2	s	4.4286
3	s	8.4926

Sodium on ChemicalAid

Art & Architecture Thesaurus ID	300265406
Australian Educational Vocabulary ID	scot/3577
BNCF Thesaurus ID	21391
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID	11980515x
Brockhaus Enzyklopädie online ID	natrium
CAS Registry Number	7440-23-5
ChEBI ID	26708
DSSTOX compound identifier	DTXCID00876449
DSSTox substance ID	DTXSID1049774
DeCS ID	13349
Den Store Danske ID	natrium
ECHA Substance Infocard ID	100.028.302
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID	science/sodium
Encyclopædia Universalis ID	sodium
English Vikidia ID	Sodium
EuroVoc ID	5288
Freebase ID	/m/025sf0_
French Vikidia ID	Sodium
GND ID	4171239-0
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID	0143129
Great Encyclopedia of Navarre ID	19007
Great Russian Encyclopedia Online ID	2251215
HSDB ID	687
ICSC ID	0717
InChI	InChI=1S/Na
InChIKey	MPMYQQHEHYDOCL-UHFFFAOYSA-N
InChIKey	KEAYESYHFKHZAL-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Italian Vikidia ID	Sodio
KBpedia ID	Sodium
LEM ID	LEM201008474
Library of Congress authority ID	sh85124249
MeSH descriptor ID	D012964
NALT ID	6407
NDF-RT ID	N0000146496
NE.se ID	natrium
NKCR AUT ID	ph323347
Namuwiki ID	나트륨
National Diet Library ID	00568053
National Library of Israel J9U ID	987007553566405171
OmegaWiki Defined Meaning	7248
OpenAlex ID	C537181965
PSH ID	5745
PubChem CID	5360545
Quora topic ID	Sodium
RxNorm ID	9853
Römpp online ID	RD-14-00332
Spanish Vikidia ID	Sodio
Store medisinske leksikon ID	natrium
Store medisinske leksikon ID	natrium_-_fysiologi
Store norske leksikon ID	natrium
Treccani ID	sodio
UNESCO Thesaurus ID	concept14023
UNII	9NEZ333N27
WikiSkripta ID	1267
WordNet 3.1 Synset ID	14679550-n
YSO ID	8414
ZVG number	8080

Sodium (Na)

Properties

Isotopes of Sodium

17Na

17Na Decay Modes

18Na

18Na Decay Modes

19Na

19Na Decay Modes

20Na

20Na Decay Modes

21Na

21Na Decay Modes

22Na

22Na Decay Modes

23Na

24Na

24Na Decay Modes

25Na

25Na Decay Modes

26Na

26Na Decay Modes

27Na

27Na Decay Modes

28Na

28Na Decay Modes

29Na

29Na Decay Modes

30Na

30Na Decay Modes

31Na

31Na Decay Modes

32Na

32Na Decay Modes

33Na

33Na Decay Modes

34Na

34Na Decay Modes

35Na

35Na Decay Modes

36Na

36Na Decay Modes

37Na

37Na Decay Modes

38Na

38Na Decay Modes

39Na

39Na Decay Modes