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SODIUM METAL [1 record]

Record 1 2003-12-09

English

Subject field(s)
  • Chemical Elements and Compounds
  • Geochemistry
CONT

Sodium is the sixth most abundant element on earth, comprising about 2.6% of the earth's crust; it is the most abundant of the alkali group of metals of which it is a member. ... Sodium is a soft, bright, silvery metal which floats on water, decomposing it with the evolution of hydrogen and the formation of the hydroxide. ... Metallic sodium is vital in the manufacture of sodamide and esters, and in the preparation of organic compounds. The metal may be used to improve the structure of certain alloys, to descale metal, to purify molten metals, and as a heat transfer agent. ... Seventeen isotopes of sodium are recognized. Metallic sodium is, [on] a volume basis, the cheapest of all metals. Sodium metal should be handled with great care.

CONT

... Argonne's technology can successfully prepare for disposal some 60 tons of "sodium-bonded" fuel stored at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). This experimental reactor fuel contains metallic sodium, a highly chemically reactive material that presents disposal challenges. For example, metallic sodium reacts with water to produce explosive hydrogen gas and corrosive sodium hydroxide, both of which could create problems in a deep underground repository ...

French

Domaine(s)
  • Éléments et composés chimiques
  • Géochimie

Spanish

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