Adjacent Words

Sodium definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SO'DIUM, n. The metallic base of soda. It is soft, sectile, white and opake, and very malleable. It is lighter than water.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group; occurs abundantly in natural compounds (especially in salt water); burns with a yellow flame and reacts violently in water; occurs in sea water and in the mineral halite (rock salt) [syn: sodium, Na, atomic number 11]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: New Latin, from English soda Date: 1807 a silver-white soft waxy ductile element of the alkali metal group that occurs abundantly in nature in combined form and is very active chemically — see element table

Britannica Concise

Chemical element, one of the alkali metals, chemical symbol Na, atomic number 11. A very soft, silvery-white metal, the sixth most abundant element on earth, it occurs mainly as halite, never free. Extremely reactive, it is used as a chemical reagent and raw material, in metallurgy, as a heat exchanger (in nuclear power generators and certain types of engines), and in sodium-vapor lamps. Sodium is essential for life but rarely deficient in diets; high intake is linked to hypertension. Sodium in compounds, many of great industrial importance (incl. bicarbonate of soda, caustic soda, saltpeter, and sodium chloride), has valence 1. Sodium carbonate, one of the four most important basic chemical commodities, is used in making glass, detergents, and cleansers. Sodium hypochlorite, familiar as household bleach, is also used to bleach paper pulp and textiles, to chlorinate water, and in some medicines. The sulfate is used in the kraft process and also used to make paperboard, glass, and detergents. The thiosulfate (hyposulfite, or "hypo") is used in developing photographs.

Dictionary of the Elements

sodium
Symbol: Na
Atomic number: 11
Atomic weight: 22.9898
Soft silvery reactive element belonging to group 1 of the periodic table (alkali metals). It is highly reactive, oxidizing in air and reacting violently with water, forcing it to be kept under oil. It was first isolated by Humphrey Davy in 1807.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. Chem. a soft silver-white reactive metallic element, occurring naturally in soda, salt, etc., that is important in industry and is an essential element in living organisms. Usage: Symb.: Na. Phrases and idioms: sodium bicarbonate a white soluble powder used in the manufacture of fire extinguishers and effervescent drinks. sodium carbonate a white powder with many commercial applications including the manufacture of soap and glass. sodium chloride a colourless crystalline compound occurring naturally in sea water and halite; common salt. sodium hydroxide a deliquescent compound which is strongly alkaline and used in the manufacture of salt and pepper: also called caustic soda. sodium nitrate a white powdery compound used mainly in the manufacture of fertilizers. sodium-vapour lamp (or sodium lamp) a lamp using an electrical discharge in sodium vapour and giving a yellow light. Derivatives: sodic adj. Etymology: SODA + -IUM

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sodium So"di*um, n. [NL., fr.E. soda.] (Chem.) A common metallic element of the alkali group, in nature always occuring combined, as in common salt, in albite, etc. It is isolated as a soft, waxy, white, unstable metal, so readily oxidized that it combines violently with water, and to be preserved must be kept under petroleum or some similar liquid. Sodium is used combined in many salts, in the free state as a reducer, and as a means of obtaining other metals (as magnesium and aluminium) is an important commercial product. Symbol Na (Natrium). Atomic weight 23. Specific gravity 0.97. Sodium amalgam, an alloy of sodium and mercury, usually produced as a gray metallic crystalline substance, which is used as a reducing agent, and otherwise. Sodium bicarbonate, a white crystalline substance, HNaCO3, with a slight alkaline taste resembling that of sodium carbonate. It is found in many mineral springs and also produced artificially,. It is used in cookery, in baking powders, and as a source of carbonic acid gas (carbon dioxide) for soda water. Called also cooking soda, saleratus, and technically, acid sodium carbonate, primary sodium carbonate, sodium dicarbonate, etc. Sodium carbonate, a white crystalline substance, Na2CO3.10H2O, having a cooling alkaline taste, found in the ashes of many plants, and produced artifically in large quantities from common salt. It is used in making soap, glass, paper, etc., and as alkaline agent in many chemical industries. Called also sal soda, washing soda, or soda. Cf. Sodium bicarbonate, above and Trona. Sodium chloride, common, or table, salt, NaCl. Sodium hydroxide, a white opaque brittle solid, NaOH, having a fibrous structure, produced by the action of quicklime, or of calcium hydrate (milk of lime), on sodium carbonate. It is a strong alkali, and is used in the manufacture of soap, in making wood pulp for paper, etc. Called also sodium hydrate, and caustic soda. By extension, a solution of sodium hydroxide.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Sodium is a silvery-white chemical element which combines with other chemicals. Salt is a sodium compound. The fish or seafood is heavily salted with pure sodium chloride. ...one level teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate powder. 2. Sodium lighting gives out a strong orange light. ...the orange glow of the sodium streetlamps. ADJ: ADJ n