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Sodium

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The periodic table contains one hundred and 118 elements. These elements range from some of the most known, such as oxygen, to some of the most unknown, protactinium. Out of these 118 element I think the most important one is sodium(Na). Sodium is is a soft metal at room temperature and is in the first group, which are the Alkali Metals (1). It’s atomic number is eleven and it is in the third period on the periodic table (1). Sodium is used in many different compounds such as sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide. Sodium does a great deal of things like salt our food, maintain our health, and stabilize water. These are just a few of the examples why sodium is the most important element. Sodium was founded by Sir Humphrey …show more content…

The sodium in our body plays a very important role in the fluid outside of our cells (extracellular fluid) (5). Sodium found here is vital because it helps preserve the volume of our plasma and this gives suitable fluid to pass over or through the vessels of different organs, and also allows for natural metabolism (4). Sodium is usually used as an extracellular cation, and because of this it is typically located in the blood and lymph fluid (5). The preservation of this extracellular fluid is a crucial role of the sodium found in the body (5). Another important role that sodium has in our bodies is when the concentrations of sodium and chloride ions change it allows neurons to send signals to each other and to other cells (5). This exchange of signals assists with nerve transmission and mechanical movement (5). The fact that this element aids in helping our bodies function properly is one major reason that sodium is the best …show more content…

We come in contact with it at some point everyday. Whether it be drinking it, washing our hands , or taking a shower. What would happen if our water was contaminated? If water has a lower pH level than about 7 it is considered acidic (6). A negative aspect of acidic water is that it can extract metal or lead from plumbing, which will then get into the water (6). If people drink water containing metal or lead it can create serious health problems; such as nervous system damage, learning disabilities, and stunting of kids growth (8). Water contaminated with metals can also eat through pipes and tear up plumbing (6). Sodium carbonate (soda ash) is an easy treatment for this problem. Its chemical formula is CNa2O3 (9). Adding sodium carbonate to acidic water raises the pH levels (6). This treatment of water contamination does not cause hardness problems in the water unlike some other methods used (6). Once again the element sodium shows its power by combining with another compound to help purify a contaminated everyday object. Another use of sodium is for dental care. The compound mainly used is sodium fluoride (FNa) (10). It helps reduce cavities by making teeth more resistant to tooth decay and bacteria (11). The fluoride attaches to the enamel of the tooth which in turn helps prevent the deterioration of the enamel

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