sodium

Sodium
-is a chemical element with symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silver-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is ²³Na.

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Example of sodium

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF SODIUM

Beneficial Effects to humans:

• It gives flavor to the food we eat
• Sodium is one of the minerals that helps to regulate fluid levels in the human body
• Sodium is an important hydrating product contained in many anti-aging creams

beneficial effects to plants

• Sodium has a very specific function in the concentration of carbon dioxide in a limited number of plants and thus is essential for higher plants.

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF ANIMALS

• Salt is unique in that animals have a much greater appetite for the sodium and chloride in salt than for other minerals.

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SODIUM

harmful effects to plants

• Too much salt can cause toxicity but more importantly it reacts on plant tissues just as it does on ours.
• Buildup of sodium in plants causes toxic levels, which cause stunted growth and arrested cell development.

HARMFUL EFFECTS TO animals

• roadsides can also turn into a sort of artificial salt lick that would be attractive to animals like moose and elk.
• As a result, they run a higher risk of becoming road kill.
• Birds

HARMFUL EFFECTS TO HUMANS

• sodium can cause obesity
• can cause kidney stones
• can cause heart disease

fun/interesting facts about sodium

• Room temperature sodium metal is soft enough that you can cut it with a butter knife
• it is the sixth most abundant metal in the earth's crust
• it explodes when it touches water

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