Pure sodium is a soft, silvery alkali metal produced by electrolysis of molten sodium chloride in a Downs cell. In its metallic form it is violently reactive with water and must be stored under mineral oil or an inert atmosphere. Its primary industrial applications are as a chemical reductant (including in the Kroll process for titanium production), in sodium-vapour lamps, and in certain nuclear reactor coolant applications. The Downs electrolysis process operates at approximately 600°C and requires significant electrical power input.
