Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The sodium–potassium pump, a critical enzyme for regulating sodium and potassium levels in cells. Sodium ions (Na +) are necessary in small amounts for some types of plants, [1] but sodium as a nutrient is more generally needed in larger amounts [1] by animals, due to their use of it for generation of nerve impulses and for maintenance of electrolyte balance and fluid balance.
High sodium consumption (5 g or more of salt per day) and insufficient potassium intake (less than 3.5 grams (0.12 oz) per day) have been linked to high blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. [6][7] As an essential nutrient, sodium is involved in numerous cellular and organ functions.
Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable isotope is 23 Na. The free metal does not occur in nature and must be prepared from compounds. Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and exists in numerous minerals such as feldspars, sodalite, and halite (NaCl).
Salt. Rock salt (halite) In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as rock salt or halite. Salt is essential for life in general (being the source of the ...
Mineral (nutrient) Carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that requires zinc (gray sphere near the center of this image), is essential for exhalation of carbon dioxide. In the context of nutrition, a mineral is a chemical element. Some "minerals" are essential for life, but most are not. [1][2][3] Minerals are one of the four groups of essential ...
Salt (chemistry) The crystal structure of sodium chloride, NaCl, a typical salt. The purple spheres represent sodium cations, Na +, and the green spheres represent chloride anions, Cl −. The yellow stipples show the electrostatic forces. In chemistry, a salt or ionic compound is a chemical compound consisting of an assembly of positively ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
The commercially available "sodium hydroxide" is often this monohydrate, and published data may refer to it instead of the anhydrous compound. As one of the simplest hydroxides, sodium hydroxide is frequently used alongside neutral water and acidic hydrochloric acid to demonstrate the pH scale to chemistry students.