Is sodium reactive or stable?

Is sodium reactive or stable?

• A. Reactive
• B. Stable
• C. Inert
• D. Radioactive

Answer: (A)

Sodium is highly reactive because it has just one valence electron in its outer shell and strongly tends to lose that electron to reach a stable, noble-gas configuration. This drive to lose the outer electron makes sodium readily react with other substances, especially water, producing hydrogen and a basic solution. That tendency to react, not to stay neutral or unreactive, is why the correct description is reactive. It wouldn’t be described as stable, inert, or radioactive—stable would imply little to no reactivity, inert would be characteristic of noble gases, and radioactive would require a radioactive nucleus (sodium-23 is not).

Sodium is highly reactive because it has just one valence electron in its outer shell and strongly tends to lose that electron to reach a stable, noble-gas configuration. This drive to lose the outer electron makes sodium readily react with other substances, especially water, producing hydrogen and a basic solution. That tendency to react, not to stay neutral or unreactive, is why the correct description is reactive. It wouldn’t be described as stable, inert, or radioactive—stable would imply little to no reactivity, inert would be characteristic of noble gases, and radioactive would require a radioactive nucleus (sodium-23 is not).