Low levels of sodium in the blood is called hyponatremia, while high levels of sodium in the blood can result in water retention in extremities, osteoporosis and high blood pressure conditions.Sodium from common salt can have a negative impact on the health of people suffering from hypertension. In healthy people, the excess sodium is excreted, however, the excess amount can spearhead kidney diseases, hypertension or other diseases.

However, with the junk food intake these days, sodium is consumed in way higher quantities than actually needed by the body. This is tantamount to one teaspoon a day. The recommended amount of sodium intake should not be more than 2.4 grams in a day.They can be also used to clean coffee pots, and can be added to the water in the vase to keep flowers alive for a longer time. Common salt can be sprinkled over cupboards to keep the ants away.It also helps hold the processed meat together, such as pepperoni, salami, sausage, etc. Food items with the words cured, smoked, pickled and brine indicate that the food product has high levels of sodium. It protects them from the growth of bacteria, mold and yeast. Sodium chloride is used for preservation of food products, such as pickles and other canned products.It is important to texture baked good made with yeast. It also affects the fermentation in cheese processing, and bread dough development. Sodium chloride enhances or brings out the flavor of food items.Salt regulates blood pressure, aids nerve impulse transmission and along with other minerals, it helps in muscle contractions. Sodium is important to the body, as it along with potassium regulates the fluid balance in the body.This compound of sodium is present in the modern food items in large quantities. Table salt, also known as sodium chloride or common salt, is a combination of the minerals sodium and chlorine: 40% sodium and 60% chlorine form sodium chloride.

Interesting Facts About Sodium Chloride or Table Salt More than 90% of the sodium present on the Earth is in the form of salt.Sodium is a significant ingredient in soap manufacturing along with fatty acids.It acts as a heat transfer liquid and is used in some nuclear reactors. Vapor lamps can produce light from electricity very efficiently. Sodium is also used to make vapor lamps, which are used in street lights.where it is used to prepare sodium compounds such as common salt, baking soda, borax, sodium nitrate, etc. Sodium is used in several industries such as chemical, metal, paper, petroleum, textile, etc.Metallic sodium is used in the process of purifying some reactive metals, such as zirconium from their compounds. Sodium is used in some alloys, so as to improve their structure, and is used to descale the surface of many metals.Thus, although elemental sodium bears semblance to a small rock, it is soft enough to be cut by a blunt knife. While working in the lab, students and lab assistants are expected to take the piece of elemental sodium out of the kerosene and cut a small piece with the knife.The best way to store sodium safely is by immersing it into liquid hydrocarbons, such as kerosene. Among the many interesting facts about sodium, one is that the sodium element is highly reactive, which makes the storage of pure sodium a Herculean task.Sodium is the fourth most abundant element and makes up almost 2.6% of the Earth’s crust.When sodium is brought in contact with water, it explodes, forming sodium hydroxide along with the release of a large amount of heat.Sodium cannot exist freely in nature and when brought in contact with air, readily oxidizes and forms oxides.Sodium has 13 isotopes, of which only one isotope is stable.The density of alkali metals increases with increase in atomic number, however, sodium unlike the other alkali metals has a higher density as compared to potassium.Since the valence of sodium is +1, it donates this single electron during chemical reactions, to form bonds. The atomic mass of the element sodium is 23, and the atomic number is 11. It has a bright luster, however, this luster disappears when exposed to air.

Sodium is a soft, silvery-white colored element, which can be cut with a knife at room temperature. Its symbol, Na, comes from the Latin name ‘natrium’, which is a common sodium compound. Sodium was first isolated in 1807, by Sir Humphrey Davy through the electrolysis of caustic soda.

Sodium element sybole