Making Sodium Metal (Not sodium,potassium amalgam)

[lexichronicle2]

21 older boys successfully butthurt over the reducing comment

I'm a bit worried for him. He's all cute and tiny and playing with lithium / sodium reactions. But he's learning, which is more than some of youZ are doin'

He also seems to be fairly proficient at what he's just done. E.g. speed and care of glass placement, using a dropper for the water, rather than a watering can (as nightinghawk used, and it then spat at him).

[scienceman64]

That doesn't qualify as a blowtorch, maybe a soldering torch. And just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. I could make ANFO but I know that it's a bad idea. Save things like this for proper experiments done in a laboratory with PROPER safety equipment. If you f*** up once you don't get a second shot, maybe a lost eye.

[98JMA]

@scienceman64

I don't mean to be rude but surely we should be encouraging young scientists like this?

[atomicnerd7334]

@98JMA yep, but i just liked chemistry



[edenaus]

This is wrong on so many counts A kid playing with sodium perrforming the experiment next to a pile of paper. Build the kid a proper lab mum and dad

[g3ov4n12]

Bad audio! Next time put subtitles.

[R3MUS2007]

sounds like a kid. Is this a good idea? Is this even safe...

[Galfonz]

Loose the music

[babajan97]

did u burn lithium with sodium hydroxide? srry bad audio

[wangouthangout]

Jesus how old is this kid? I wish I had the resources to do this at his age.

[radumotisan]

congrats! it was an interesting video.

[XxVizzinixX]

Why do you cover the reaction with a beaker?

Is it a safety thing or is it necessary for the reaction?

Also, how do you know you made sodium metal?

Doesn't lithium also react strongly with water?

[Zink575]

The maker of the video is correct. Lithium is the strongest ELEMENTAL reducing agent. Even more so than sodium. Look it up. Reactivity and Reduction potentials are not the same.

[neardeathuser]

THIS is got to be a English school kid

[danedaworld]

@neardeathuser or a woman with a high pitch?

[psyduck731]

sodium is more reactive than lithium I guarantee you that

[atomicnerd7334]

hey, your quite right but lithium is a more powerful reducing agent. It reacts slowly in water because of reactivivty. But mixed with sodium hydroxide itll be using it reducin properties

[xR0WDYx]

Im not so sure: lithium does not release its electron as easily as sodium, because sodium has an overall higher formula weight. plus theres the electron shielding factor going on that blocks the positive charge from the nucleus. maybe Im missing something? plus lithium salts are overall more stable than sodium salts

[EinYamakasi]

He may be referring to Reaction Capacity. -=shrug=-

[vitorix24]

ya. i have from battery

[UAEchemist2]

I am going to make NaK, it is an alloy of Sodium metal and Potassium metal, liquid at room temperature and much more reactive.

[benyamen43]

thats sodium potassium amalgum, if you try to pour it it will react with the moisture in the air and burst into flames before it hits the ground.

[UAEchemist2]

I have already made it and tried it many times.

[benyamen43]

yea its fun stuff :)

[UAEchemist2]

But i made it without inert gases or Vacuum.

[benyamen43]

i havent made it but ive handled it, but i know you have to remove the atmosphere from both because the boiling point of both is extremely high. but do you make it in just open air by melting it or boiling it?

[UAEchemist2]

Same procedure but without the gas, just by heating the test tube, you get a liquid metal that looks a lot like mercury.

[benyamen43]

yes thats true but wont it react must more easily with the moisture in the air? because solid sodium isnt nearly as water sensitive as molten sodium.

[UAEchemist2]

Well, once NaK is formed, then yes it is sensitive to moisture in the air, and i had it react many times in the test tube due to the air, However, once it is molten, you can send it in oil as soon as possible. usually if you leave the liquid metal out in the opening it will turn to a powdery NaK substance.

[atomicnerd7334]

i sound like that in the camera

[KEngel1021]

I am not exactly sure what it is you did. What was the Lithium metal sitting on when you lit it on fire?

[ExplosiveScience]

Poor quality taping, but cool reaction. A neat video. BTW, this is also how potassium metal can be made as well as some of the more reactive alkali metals.

[SulaFreaks]

sitating:

"how to make sodium from lithium because it is more powerful reducing agent. "

Yes, it is more powerfull, the reaction is more "sensitive" and is exotherm..

Anyway sodium is Na and Lithium is Li.

Li -> Na is freakin impossible!:P

Any way is you eloctrolyces salt(NaCl) you will get sodium.

NaCl -> Na- + Cl+ :)

[SulaFreaks]

HA! didn't see your whole video sorry!

Li + NaOH -> LiOH + Na, not so pure but works..

[11to]

can you answer my question plz!

[Nighthawkinlight]

Not the best procedure here because any sodium would burn away immediately. Figure out a way to make it similar to the way I do in my videos and you may have a viable method. Even so, it is simpler to use the Mg/NaOH that I use.

[11to]

So you burn NaOH and Li together?