Solution of Sodium in Liquid Ammonia
Description: Sodium dissolves in liquid ammonia to give a deep blue color at low concentration and a bronze color at high concentration.
This demonstration is available on video and JCE Software “Chemistry Comes Alive!” CD-Rom.
Source: UW Card Catalog
Year:2006 Vol: 83 Page: 1406
Keywords: Sodium, Liquid Ammonia, Deep blue color, Bronze color
Rating: 
Hazard: High
- Acute toxicity hazard – oral, inhalation
- Asphyxiation hazard
- Skin corrosion hazard
- Explosion hazard
- Cryogenic burn hazard
- Serious eye damage
- Flammability hazard
- Substance or mixture which if wet, emit flammable gases
- Short term aquatic toxicity hazard
Effectiveness: Average
- Moderate failure rate
- Good connection from demo to course material
- Results are difficult to observe
- Time to results is low
- Good effects are seen by audience
Difficulty: High
- Air sensitive material
- Cryogenic materials
- Reactive reagents
- Complex manipulations
- Experiments in which a display is used
- Prior practice required
- Demos at non-standard conditions
Safety Precaution:
- Eye protection required
- Gloves required
- Lab coat recommended
- Downdraft hood or fume hood required
- Chemically resistant surface required
- Face mask or dust mask recommended
- ABC fire extinguisher on hand
- Cryogenic gloves recommended
- Absorbent materials on hand
- Avoid use or contact with water
- Prevent release of reagents to the environment
Class: Atomic Structure, Groups IA, IIA, and IIIB (1,2, and 13)
Division: General, Inorganic Chemistry
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