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 ...

For instance, sodium has a distinct yellow line ... Back in the mid 1800s, no one knew why particular elements gave off and absorbed these specific wavelengths. But today we know that each ...

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 ...

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 ...