Yes, sodium reacts with chlorine to form sodium chloride (NaCl), which is commonly known as table salt. This reaction is a classic example of an ionic bond formation, where sodium (Na) donates one electron to chlorine (Cl), resulting in the formation of sodium ions (Na⁺) and chloride ions (Cl⁻).
The reaction can be represented by the following equation:
\[ 2 , \text{Na} (s) + \text{Cl}_2 (g) \rightarrow 2 , \text{NaCl} (s) \]
In this process, sodium, a metal, is oxidized as it loses an electron and becomes a positively charged ion (Na⁺), while chlorine, a non-metal, is reduced as it gains an electron to become a negatively charged ion (Cl⁻). The resultant ionic compound, sodium chloride, is neutral overall because the positive and negative charges balance each other. Sodium chloride is highly soluble in water and forms a crystalline structure in the solid state.
4 answers