3 ms·
>Sodium and chlorine are very active chemical elements How active are the sodium and chlorine ions, which I assume is what you actually get since the salt is d
by smeyer 12y ago
>Sodium and chlorine are very active chemical elements
How active are the sodium and chlorine ions, which I assume is what you actually get since the salt is dissolved. Do they still have a major effect on most of the chemical reactions in the body? It's not like anyone is ingesting sodium metal.
Disclaimer: I have a physics degree but haven't taken chemistry or biology past high school, so I'm very ignorant here.
- grhino 12y agoAdmittedly not a biochemist, but I believe sodium and chlorine lose most of their activity when they give up or accept that electron, respectively, to fill their octet. From a biochemistry perspective, they are mostly used as convenient ions to generate voltage differences or activate structural changes in enzymes.The chemical difference between sodium ions and potassium ions are relevant at times, free sodium ions or chloride ions are not nearly as reactive as their neutral complements. It's also very unlikely that sodium ions or chloride ions would spontaneously transform into their neutral complements.