Name       : Sodium
Symbol     : Na
Atomic #   : 11
Atom weight: 22.9898
Melting P. : 97.81
Boiling P. : 882.9
Oxidation  : +1
Pronounced : SO-di-em
From       : Medieval Latin sodanum, "headache remedy"
Identified : Sir Humphry Davy in 1807
Appearance : Soft, silvery-white metal
Note       : Burns in air with a brilliant white flame

[Properties]

  Sodium is a very soft, silvery-white metal. It looks very much like
aluminum, but is much softer; it is so soft, in fact, that it can be easily
cut with a knife.  However, few people have a chance to see and work with
pure sodium metal on a regular basis. The compounds are all over the place, 
but the metal itself has virtually no practical application and does not
adapt readily to normal environmental conditions.  For example, it reacts
vigorously with atmospheric oxygen to form sodium peroxide, and reacts
violently with water to form hydrogen and sodium hydroxide.
  Sodium belongs to the alkali metals of Group IA on the periodic table of
elements. Hydrogen (H) is grouped with these metals and they have a number
of features in common - except one very important feature: hydrogen is a
gas. The Group IA metals are known as alkali metals because they form very
strong and caustic (or alkaline) compounds with the OH- ion. Common
household lye, for example, is potassium or sodium hydroxide. Lithium
hydroxide is even nastier, and far too dangerous for household use.
  Sodium alloys with three other metals in its group to form an important
and unusual series of eutectic metals. Recall that an alloy is a mixture
of two or more metals. An eutectic system is a mixture of substances whose
melting point is lower than that of any of the individual parts.
  Sodium and its salts impart a yellow color to a flame test.
