Sodium Electrode

Abstract

A room temperature method and electrode for producing sodium metal in situ is disclosed. The electrode has a sodium hydroxide, or another easily electrolyzible sodium containing material, solution on the anode side, a membrane which permits sodium ions to pass through to the cathode where the sodium ions are reduced to sodium metal. This sodium metal is then available to react with other components of the solution on the cathode side.

What we claim is: 
     
         1 . An electrode comprising
 a glass tube having an alkali metal-containing solution contained therein,   a ceramic membrane located at one end of the glass tube as an interface between the alkali metal-containing solution and the outside solution,   an anode located inside the glass tube and immersed in the alkali metal-containing solution, and   a cathode located outside the glass tube and immersed in the outside solution and electrically connected to the anode,   wherein the ceramic membrane is permeable to alkali metal ions.   
     
     
         2 . The electrode according to  claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal comprises sodium. 
     
     
         3 . The electrode according to  claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal-containing solution comprises a solution containing an electrolyzible alkali metal containing compound. 
     
     
         4 . The electrode according to  claim 3 , wherein the electrolyzible alkali metal containing compound comprises an alkali metal with at least one member selected from the group consisting of chloride, hydroxide, methoxide, alkoxide, tetrafluoroborate, and hexafluorophosphate. 
     
     
         5 . The electrode according to  claim 1 , further comprising a power source connected to the anode and cathode. 
     
     
         6 . The electrode according to  claim 1 , wherein the outside solution comprising a solvent or reactant containing solution. 
     
     
         7 . An electrochemical process comprising
 providing an electrode comprising a glass tube having an alkali metal-containing solution contained therein, a ceramic membrane located at one end of the glass tube as an interface between the alkali metal-containing solution and the outside solution, an anode located inside the glass tube and immersed in the alkali metal-containing solution, a power source connected to the anode and cathode, and a cathode located outside the glass tube and immersed in the outside solution and electrically connected to the anode,   decomposing the alkali metal in the alkali metal-containing solution to form alkali metal ions,   passing the alkali metal ions through the ceramic membrane to the outside solution,   reducing the alkali metal ions to alkali metal at the cathode, and   reacting the alkali metal with a reactant in the outside solution.   
     
     
         8 . The electrochemical process according to  claim 7 , wherein the reactant comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of alcohols, surfactants, fats, acids, amines, oxides, alkoxides, aryloxides, phenoxides, and halocarbons. 
     
     
         9 . The electrochemical process according to  claim 7 , further comprising isolating the product formed by the step of reacting the alkali metal with a reactant in the outside solution. 
     
     
         10 . The electrochemical process according to  claim 7 , wherein the outside solution comprises a biological system. 
     
     
         11 . The electrochemical process according to  claim 7 , wherein the outside solution comprises a reactant reducible by the alkali metal. 
     
     
         12 . The electrochemical process according to  claim 7 , wherein the alkali metal comprises sodium. 
     
     
         13 . The electrochemical process according to  claim 7 , wherein the process is conducted at room temperature. 
     
     
         14 . An electrochemical process comprising
 providing an electrode comprising a glass tube having a sodium metal-containing solution contained therein, a ceramic membrane located at one end of the glass tube as an interface between the sodium metal-containing solution and the outside solution, an anode located inside the glass tube and immersed in the sodium metal-containing solution, a power source connected to the anode and cathode, and a cathode located outside the glass tube and immersed in the outside solution and electrically connected to the anode,   decomposing the sodium metal in the sodium metal-containing solution to form sodium ions,   passing the sodium ions through the ceramic membrane to the outside solution,   reducing the sodium ions to sodium metal at the cathode, and   reacting the sodium metal with a reactant in the outside solution.