Radio and PodcastRadio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts
Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator artwork
Science & Medicine

Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator

Elemental by RNZ

Oct 24, 201900:11:19Science & Medicine

Sodium is vital for life & usually found in combinaton with other more interesting elements, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 79 of Elemental. Would you willingly eat the product obtained from the reaction of a metal which...

About This Episode

Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator is an episode from Elemental by RNZ. Sodium is vital for life & usually found in combinaton with other more interesting elements, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 79 of Elemental. Would you willingly eat...

Podcast

This episode belongs to Elemental.

Listen Online

Use the player on this page to stream the episode online.

Episode Details

Published Oct 24, 2019, 00:11:19 long, audio available.

Questions About This Episode

What is Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator about?

Sodium is vital for life & usually found in combinaton with other more interesting elements, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 79 of Elemental. Would you willingly eat the product obtained from the reaction of a metal which reacts violently with water and a poisonous gas that was used as a chemical weapon in World War One? Well, put like that you'd probably answer 'no', but chances are that you've already eaten some today, in the form of sodium chloride or salt. Sodium the element is a highly reactive metal - the internet is full of videos of people dropping pieces of sodium in water to see the explosion that results. This reactivity means it is never found naturally in its elemental form but exists almost always on Earth as the Na+ cation. This cation is usually found in partnership with other more interesting anions - think, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sodium stearate (soap), and sodium azide (used to inflate airbags in cars). Sodium is also a key part of the sodium-potassium pump in the human body, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 79 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Where can I listen to Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator?

You can listen to Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Which podcast is Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator from?

Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator is an episode from Elemental by RNZ.

How long is this episode?

This episode is 00:11:19 long.

When was this episode published?

This episode was published on Oct 24, 2019.

Can I save Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator for later?

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Are there related episodes from Elemental?

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Elemental when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.

Quick Answers About This Episode

Where can I listen to Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator?

You can listen to Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator on this page when the episode audio is available from the podcast feed.

Which podcast is this episode from?

Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator is from Elemental by RNZ.

What are the episode details?

Published Oct 24, 2019 and 00:11:19 long