Sodium and Sodium Alloys

Abstract

Of all the alkali metals, sodium has had perhaps the greatest commercial success, owing to its relative ease of manufacture and its important role worldwide in the manufacture of organolead compounds for use as gasoline octane enhancers. The decline of organoleads in North America has greatly affected U.S. production. Other sodium uses exist, but none requiring the massive quantities needed for lead antiknock compounds. Most sodium is made electrolytically. Various electrochemical cells are described. Sodium continues to have an important role in the manufacture of many organic chemicals as a reducing agent. Newer uses include sodium batteries, flue‐gas cleanup, and alloy surface modification.

Recent Advances in the Use of Sodium Borohydride as a Solid State Hydrogen Store

“…Given that the melting point of the decomposition product, Na, is ~371 K [55] and that molten Na may serve as an effective mass-transfer medium to promote atomic/ionic diffusion, one possible reason for this under-performance in the Na-Mg-B-H system is that a melting-induced phenomenon takes place during dehydrogenation. As a result, the local stoichiometry and homogeneity of the mixture may be disrupted, hindering rehydrogenation to NaBH4.…”