Toxicity Sodium reacts with the moisture on skin and other tissues to form highly corrosive sodium hydroxide.
Sodium reacts violently on contact with water and often ignites or explodes the hydrogen formed.
Reactivity and Incompatibility Sodium is a potent reducing agent and reacts violently with water to form hydrogen and sodium hydroxide. It also reacts violently with mineral acids and halogens and reacts exothermically with oxidizing agents, organic and inorganic halides, and protic media. Shock-sensitive mixtures can form upon reaction of sodium with halogenated hydrocarbons such as carbon tetrachloride and chloroform. Sodium also reacts to generate shock-sensitive products with sulfur oxides and phosphorus, and reacts with incandescence with many metal oxides such as mercurous and lead oxides. Sodium dissolves in many other metals such as mercury and potassium with great evolution of heat.