Element 11 · Alkali Metal
Sodium
A soft, silvery alkali metal that reacts violently with water — useful in industry but not as scrap.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Na
ATOMIC NO.
11
ATOMIC WEIGHT
22.99
CATEGORY
Alkali Metal
PERIOD
Period 3
GROUP
Group 1
The Basics
Sodium is element 11, the sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust. Pure sodium is so reactive it must be stored under mineral oil. Most "sodium" in the world appears as sodium chloride (table salt) or other compounds rather than as pure metal.
Background
Sodium vapour lamps (the orange-yellow streetlights universal in the UK from the 1930s to 2010s before LED replacement). Sodium metal as a heat transfer fluid in fast breeder nuclear reactors. Sodium-cooled industrial processes.
Industrial Uses
Sodium metal is used in chemical synthesis (production of pharmaceuticals and dyes), as a reducing agent in producing other metals, and in some specialty heat transfer applications. Sodium-sulphur batteries are an emerging grid storage technology.
Scrap Viability
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Sodium:
Pure sodium ignites spontaneously on contact with water and is extremely hazardous to handle. There is no scrap market for sodium metal — the only forms ever encountered are bulk quantities at chemical plants, and these go directly back to the chemical industry rather than to scrap dealers.
What It's Worth
Sodium metal is a chemical commodity rather than a scrap-traded item.