Isolated by Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institution,
London, UK.
Remarks
Soft, silvery white metal which oxidizes rapidly when cut.
Reacts vigorously with water. Produced in large quantities and used as
metal in heat exchanger in atomic reactors. NaCl is key industrial
chemical, used to make Cl2, NaOH, etc.
Diagnostic tests:
Compounds containing sodium give a strong and persistent yellow flame
test. The test is so sensitive that sodium contamination may give a false
positive.
Glass blowers Didymium Safety Glasses may be used to
block out this emission to observe the less intense colors from other
elements.
References
Emsley, J., 1991; THE ELEMENTS : Sec. Ed.,
Clarendon Press, Oxford, 251 p.
(Ca,Fe++,Th, La)(La,REE,Ca)(Al,Cr,Ti)2(Mg,Fe,Al)Si3O12(OH,F) with La > Ce
551.33
(* - Mineral Name Is Not IMA Approved)
(! - New Dana classification added or changed from Danas New Mineralogy)
(? - IMA Discredited Mineral Species Name)
There are 1029 minerals with Na in the Mineralogy Database.