Scientists have even caught this reaction on high-speed video, capturing the blast and explaining why ... the sodium releases electrons — negatively charged particles — leaving the element ...

The reason has to do with why the seas are salty. Sodium is a light element that ionizes easily, giving up one of its electrons. In a battery, those ions shuttle back and forth between two ...

Sodium is a much more abundant element that is less complicated to extract ... As for supply, this is still virtually non-existent, which is why it's important to get factories like the one ...

In this video excerpt from NOVA's "Hunting the Elements," New York Times technology columnist David Pogue investigates chemical reactions involving sodium. Find out how the electron configuration ...

You probably know the element from its most commonplace form, table salt, or sodium chloride ... It is also the reason why fizzy drinks are often called "soda". In the 19th Century, soda water ...