[MrGameAndWatch]

I Have Done some Recerch On The Element Sodium. I Would Think It Would Be Cool to extract sodium

from salt. I hear that you have to first melt the salt down, then Passing Electricity From a Car Batery

 ;Dto collect the sodium. I have herd that One guy Did it using a blow torch and a paper clip. I have a few Questions:

1) Is it that Easy just to use a paperclip and a blowtorch?

2) Do I have to Use a car batery?

3) What about the Cl? Isnt that Toxic? and what happens to it?

4) Can I do this outside of my home?

5) What Would I need for safty?

6) Thx!



I have posted this Hear and only here! because i know that There are Very Highly Traind Chemists on this site!


I Would Be very happy for the *delete me* Thank You Very much!

[Borek]

It is neither easy nor safe. And it was discussed many times on forums, just search.

[Arkcon]

There's plenty wrong with your experimental setup, but I'll add one thing to Borek:'s warning that I know from when I tried it.  I used two blowtorches, one from above and one below, on a pile of table salt in a porcelain crucible, and I was barely able to sinter it.  So no, a propane blowtorch will not melt NaCl.

[MrGameAndWatch]

Would i Be able to Melt Sodium Hydroxyde?

[Arkcon]

Look it up, I was a lazy kid back then, so I didn't check.  NaCl melts at 800 C.  A propane torch gives a flame at some temperature range.  I used two because, 1). I had two, and 2.) I wanted heat from above and below, so heat couldn't radiate away.  My whole setup is dumb, for 3 different reasons, if you consider the danger of a 12 year old possessing free elemental sodium as one of them.  See if NaOH has a low enough melting point, or if yo can get a hotter torch -- keeping the discussion, purely theoretical, of course.

[MrGameAndWatch]

Hmm, Ok So I found out that Salt is a bad idea, because of the chlorine Gas, But NaOH Has a melting point of  318°C, Wich Would be easyer to Get to, So I will use that insted, But All I have to worry about is that Stuff totching me. Right? and So I Conect two wires from a car batery to a spoon? and the sodium will conect to the spoon? Then I can put the sodium in a jar right? (By scraping it off the spoon)

[Arkcon]

Can you write out the half reactions at each electrode to determine what you get?  And no, it'd unlikely the Na metal can just be scraped off with a spoon into a jar, it's soft enough to be cut with a knife, but it may alloy with metals rapidly.  And you'll need an inert oil in the jar to keep moisture and air away.

[nj_bartel]

Melting NaOH...  It seems like you're looking for ways to hurt yourself.