Final answer:
Sodium chloride is a compound composed of sodium, a metal, and chloride, a nonmetal. Sodium is reactive and reacts explosively with water, while chlorine is poisonous. When sodium and chlorine combine, they form sodium chloride, which is stable and essential for life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sodium chloride is a compound composed of sodium, which is a metal, and chloride, which is a nonmetal. Sodium is a soft, silvery-white metal that reacts explosively with water and burns in air. Chlorine is a pale yellow-green gas that is corrosive and poisonous. When sodium and chlorine combine, they form sodium chloride, which is a white, crystalline compound also known as table salt.
Binary ionic compounds like sodium chloride are composed of a metal, which forms the cations, and a nonmetal, which forms the anions. Sodium, being a metal, has low ionization potential and loses electrons easily, while chlorine, being a nonmetal, has high electron affinity and readily gains electrons. The resulting sodium cations and chloride anions bond together to form sodium chloride.
Sodium chloride, despite being composed of a metal and a nonmetal, does not exhibit the typical properties of either. Sodium is reactive, but sodium chloride is stable. Chlorine is poisonous, but sodium chloride is necessary for life. Sodium reacts with water, but sodium chloride simply dissolves in water.