How To Make Sodium Metal

This is one way sodium metal can be isolated using NaOH and Mg. Mg has a strong enough desire for oxygen to tear it from the NaOH, leaving ingots of elemental sodium behind.

2Mg + 2NaOH = 2MgO + 2Na + H2

Thanks to NurdRage for the equation.

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[nothingnew]

I grew up loving chemistry but became a carpenter now that I'm old I'm falling in love with chemistry again. Spare time to create awesomeness. Thanks for sharing.

[Nighthawkinlight]

Yes. The salt needs to be heated to it's melting point then a strong electric current is passed through it to split the sodium from the chlorine. It's quite dangerous.

[joshuathomson]

I'd say I like sodium hydroxide, but that would be a lye.

[Nighthawkinlight]

Potassium will become unstable in mineral oil eventually, but sodium has been safe to store indefinitely by my experience.

[matzo]

Sodium hydroxide is a popular drain cleaner, and is often sold in solid form. Be sure to read the ingredients on the label, though. Magnesium can be found in firestarters, in the sporting goods section of your local supermarket. They're sold as solid blocks with a large flint glued to it, though, so you have to powder it yourself. You can also check online, though powdered magnesium is probably expensive to ship.

[Nighthawkinlight]

@jeremiahswee Very true. This is not a typical displacement reaction. Rather than trading places with the sodium, the magnesium attacks the oxygen contained in the hydroxide group. This creates MgO, leaving Na and H on their own, unable to bond together. The Mg does not force the Na out because it is more reactive, but because it has a stronger desire for the oxygen than the hydroxide group does. If the hydroxide group is decomposed, any metal attached to it is freed, regardless of reactivity.

[Nighthawkinlight]

Maybe, it depends what it's to be used for. It is too soft and reactive to make a useful alloy for any structural purposes.

[Nighthawkinlight]

Sodium was stuck to the surface of the block of steel. Scraping it with the spoon exposed fresh sodium to the air, which caused it to rapidly oxidize, releasing enough heat to catch fire.

[stoneywmorris]

I'm new to this here. I've always been fascinated with things like this and I have been through so much in my life that caused me to never get my ambition started. I'm 54 years old now and if I don't start now I never will.

[Nighthawkinlight]

@Khalastas Try not grinding the NaOH. If you leave it in prill form it will react more slowly and leave more sodium. If you use a thick piece of steel as a lid like I have much of the sodium will condense on it because it's so much cooler than the reaction vessel itself. It can then simply be scraped off.

[ChrisLove]

Wouldnt the sodium react with the water making sodium hydroxide again?

[SafetyLucas]

Why not just heat the whole mixture under oil? Sodium melts at around 208F, and MgOH does not. The sodium could coalesce like on Nurdrage.

[paulcrisan]

I was gonna make a Sodium joke...


But Na

[maeday]

I tried this but i cant seem to get the sodium + slag out of the crucble. its hardened into one giant clump at the bottom of the crucible. Unfortunately the video cuts out the part where he gets it out of the container.

[NexusEden]

Super cool - though I wish you would explain the chemical reaction that is taking place with each step. It would help chemistry students understand what each elemental step contributes to the over all reaction process.

However ...totally awesome!

[NurdRage]

Nice work!

Someday i'll get around to making a sodium video as well. i'll probably blatantly steal (with credit) a few of your techniques :)

[pablopicasso]

Awesome experiment, we did this as an experiment at school, it was great :-)

[dmitryponyatov]

Did you tested electochemical conversion in tiny amounts at home ?
How you recommend to make cleanup and make ingot from this powdered sod.metal ?

[RodinTheOnlyOne]

2NaOH + Mg → Mg(OH)2 + 2Na
2Na + 2H2O → 2NaOH + H2

[uncle_thulhu]

Okay, so that was essentially a thermite reaction, right? But I thought the elemental metal had to be more reactive than the metal that starts as a salt. That's why Al+Fe2O3 works, isn't it? Mg is definitely not more reactive than Na.