Dancing sodium || We can make sodium jump in a mixture of water and kerosene added with a suitable indicator

Alkaline metals react vigorously with water. We can make sodium jump in a mixture of water and kerosene added with a suitable indicator 

Reagents

• Water (60 ml)
• Kerosene (40 ml)
• 1% solution of thymolphthalein
• Metallic sodium
• Phenolphthalein

Procedure

Step 1 : Pour 30 ml of water into two measuring cylinder 

Step 2: Add a few drops of the solutions of the thymolphthalien and phenolphthalein indicators to the water  

Step 3: Pour 20 ml of Kerosene into each measuring cylinder. Two layers form of liquids that do not  mix

Step 4: Cut a peace of metallic sodium and add it to each vessel.

Process

       The sodium is only slightly heavier than the water so that when the sodium just starts to sink, the gas bubbles of H2 are instantaneous when it hits the water that the gas bubble surround the sodium and keep it lighter than water so the sodium never sinks. 

Chemistry

2Na + 2H2O → 2 NaOH + H2

The sodium metal is such a super reducer it breaks water down into hydrogen gas and -OH ions. The -OH ions of the water mach up with Na + Ions when the sodium metals gives up an electron to the water
This reaction  is so exothermic that when the water dis associates into hydrogen gas expand rapidly where the sodium contact the water this rapid expansion is just like compressed air under neath the sodium and between the water that this expanding gas pushes the sodium metal into the air. Sometimes the hydrogen gs mixes with the air and explodes if the gasses get hot enough .