Which method is commonly used to extract sodium from its compound?
Electrolytic reduction
Sodium is a highly reactive alkali metal that lies near the top of the reactivity series. Because it is so reactive, it cannot be extracted from its compounds by reduction with carbon or by simple heating: any sodium liberated would immediately react back with the surroundings. Reactive metals like sodium, potassium, calcium and aluminium are therefore obtained by electrolytic reduction of their molten compounds.
Industrially sodium is produced by the Downs process: molten sodium chloride (with a little calcium chloride to lower the melting point) is electrolysed. At the cathode sodium ions gain electrons to form sodium metal (Na+ + e− → Na), and chlorine gas is released at the anode. Distillation only separates mixtures, thermal decomposition does not produce free sodium, and heating with carbon does not reduce sodium salts.
Hence, the answer is Electrolytic reduction.
Similar Questions
In electrolytic refining, the pure metal is used as:
During the electrolytic refining of copper, which of the following correctly matches the components and their roles?
Component Role in Refining Process A. Pure Copper i. Anode B. Impure Copper ii. Cathode C. Acidified Copper Sulphate iii. Electrolyte Which of the following statements are correct for electrolytic refining? a. Copper, zinc, and nickel are refined electrolytically. b. In this method, a thin strip of pure metal is used as cathode. c. The insoluble impurities settled at bottom of the anode are known as anode mud.
What happens at the anode during anodising?
Which of the following metals is usually extracted from its ore by electrolytic reduction?
Which of the following is a product formed at the cathode during the electrolysis of brine?
Anodising is a process used to improve the appearance and durability of aluminium articles. Which of the following statements best explains the principle behind anodising?
Select the option that is true regarding the following two statements labelled Assertion (A) and Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Metals such as sodium and potassium are extracted by electrolysis.
Reason (R): These metals are highly reactive and cannot be obtained by reduction with carbon.
What is used as an anode in the electrolytic refining of nickel?
Important Questions from Electrochemistry
- At $298 \, K$, given the standard electrode potentials: $E^\circ_{Cu^{2+}/Cu} = 0.34 \, V$, $E^\circ_{Zn^{2+}/Zn} = -0.76 \, V$, $E^\circ_{Fe^{2+}/Fe} = -0.44 \, V$, and $E^\circ_{Ag^{+}/Ag} = 0.80 \, V$.
Based on these values, which of the following reactions is NOT expected to occur spontaneously under standard conditions? You are given three metals 'X', 'Y' and 'Z'. Metal 'X' is found to react with an aqueous solution of both YSO 4and ZSO 4whereas metal 'Z' is found to react only with aqueous solution of YSO 4. Based on these observations, select the correct statement from the following.
If the overpotential of an electrolysis process is increased from 0.5 V to 0.6 V, then the ratio of current densities (In \(\frac{\int0.6 }{\int0.5}\)) of the electrolysis will be equal to (given transfer co - efficient = 0.5)
The chemical potential (μ) of a 2 molar Na2SO4 solution is expressed in terms of mean ionic activity co - efficient (γ±) as
The E°(M+/M) of the cell, SHE||MX|M can be obtained from the plot of (E cell is the cell potential and m is the molality of ideal dilute solution of MX)
