Sodium Molar Mass

Sodium is one of the most essential element for almost all the lifeforms on the planet. Almost all the animal species, as well as a large number of plant species, require sodium to facilitate various bodily functions. Irrespective of its significance in our life, not many of us are well-versed with some of the most basic sodium facts. Sodium metal is so soft at room temperature, that you can easily cut it using a knife. This and other such interesting facts about sodium still continue to elude several minds - and molar mass is one such fact.

Molar Mass

Molar mass is basically the mass of a single mole, i.e. the smallest particle, of any chemical element - and is represented with symbol M. It is an important physical property of each of the pure elements found on the planet. In fact, it is directly related to the standard atomic weight on pure elements. On the other hand, molecular weight, also referred to as molecular mass, is the mass of the given molecules in the lot. If the element is available in its purest form, the molar mass and molecular mass will be the same, or else they are bound to be different, and shouldn't be confused with each other. Molar mass takes average isotopic distribution of many molecules, while molecular weight takes into account a single isotopic composition of a molecule.

Even though the base SI unit to measure mass is kilogram, molar mass is always measured in g/mol or gmol^-1. It cannot be measured directly, and hence one has to calculate it from standard atomic weight. This also means that the precision to which molar mass is determined, to a great extent depends on the precision of the atomic weight from which it is calculated. One has to also remember that the molecular weight of the said molecule is measured in daltons (Da) or atomic mass units (u).

Sodium Molar Mass

Coming back to sodium, it is a soft, silvery-white, metallic element, with atomic number 11 and chemical symbol Na, which is derived from the Latin word Natrium. It is a constituent of the group 1 of alkali metals. The melting point of sodium is 207.9°F, while its boiling point is 1621°F. This element sports a density of 0.968 g·cm^-3. The metal was first isolated in its elemental form by Sir Humphry Davy in 1807. Sodium doesn't occur naturally on the planet, owing to the fact that it oxidizes in air and reacts with water. In order to avoid this oxidization and reaction it has to be stored in some inert medium.

The molar mass of sodium is 22.989 g/mol, because its standard atomic weight is 22.989 g/mol. The molecular weight of sodium will be 22.989 g/mol, owing to the fact that the element is available in its purest form. The molar mass for various compounds of sodium will differ from each other. In case of sodium chloride, it is 58.443 g/mol, while the same in case of sodium carbonate is 105.9884 g/mol.

The relationship between molar mass and molecular weight may seem to be a bit confusing, but if you are well-versed with the basics of chemistry, you will realize that you just need to grasp the molarity formula and you will get the molar mass of any element with immense ease.