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Sodium Bromide

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About Sodium Bromide

Sodium bromide is a compound with the formula NaBr. It is inorganic. It is a highly volatile, white-coloured, crystalline solid that looks similar to sodium chloride. This salt is used widely for the usage of the bromide radical. This salt has many applications in the chemist and drug industry.  Its solubility does not allow it to occur naturally in the rocks or naturally occurring minerals. Some chemical compounds are known as halides, chlorides and iodides also get extracted while withdrawing from the ocean water. Anticonvulsant properties of the bromide salts are exhibited within the other salts derived from the ocean water, and it’s the most common salt of the hydrobromic acid.


Sodium Bromide

What is sodium bromide? How can you define it? 

It is known as an inorganic compound having the formula NaBr and we widely use this inorganic compound as the source of bromide ions.

Sodium bromide crystallises in the same manner as NaCl, NaF and NAI. And this anhydrous salt crystallises above 50.7 degrees celsius.

Sodium bromide (NaBr) is produced by treating hydrogen bromide with sodium hydroxide.

For the source of chemical element bromine, we can use sodium bromide as,

by treating an aqueous solution of NaBr with chlorine gas this can be accomplished :

by reacting 2 moles of sodium bromide with chlorine gas gives us bromine gas with 2 moles of salt(anhydrous salt) under required conditions.

In the inorganic bromide industry, sodium bromide is the most useful inorganic bromide, also used as a catalyst in TEMPO-mediated oxidation reactions

Also, sodium bromide is known as Geobrom 3400 in which liquid bromine is dissolved. Incorporation of bromine works only in the presence of chloramine -T.


Sodium Bromide Structure – NaBr


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Sodium is a positively charged radical, which is very unstable because it is a highly reactive metal. Even to protect it from its reactivity, it is kept inside kerosene oil. So, this element reacts with the negatively charged bromide radical to form an ionic bond together to form a sodium bromide compound. Now, this ionic bond is mostly stable, and the NaBr compound name together becomes sodium bromide.  The chemical name of nabr is sodium bromide. The sodium bromide structure is linear, and the sodium bromide structure is polar because the positive and negative radicals create a polarity where electrons get shared on the more electronegative radical that is the bromide liberal in sodium bromide.


Physical Properties of Sodium Bromide (NaBr)

These were the physical properties of sodium bromide salt, which helps the chemists and druggists to make the use of sodium bromide salt.


The physical properties of sodium bromide are also required by the chemical industries based on which they manufacture it for lab purposes.


Chemical Properties of Sodium Bromide

  1. The reaction between Sodium bromide and sulphuric acid results in sodium sulphate and hydrogen bromide. The chemical equation is provided below.

\[NaBr + H_{2}SO_{4} \rightarrow  NaHSO_{4} + HBr\]

Here, it is clearly shown that the sulphuric acid attacks the more electronegative part of the sodium bromide ion and the hydrogen atom settles in. Therefore, one hydrogen atom from sulphuric acid binds with the sodium ion and brings down the oxidation state of the sodium ion. Therefore, we can easily say that it is a redox reaction happening, which is one of the chemical properties of sodium bromide, and these chemical properties can be used as an application of sodium bromide.

  1. The reaction between Sodium bromide and silver nitrate solution results in the formation of silver bromide and sodium nitrate. The chemical equation is provided below.

\[AgNO_{3} + NaBr \rightarrow  AgBr + NaNO_{3}\]


Here, it is clearly stated that the silver radical in a solution become so reactive that it displaces the sodium ion and goes to its site. The sodium, again being a reactive metal ion, bonds with the nitrate radical to give rise to the sodium nitrate compound. It is again a redox reaction as the oxidation number of sodium is getting altered.  Therefore, we can easily say that it is a redox reaction happening, which is one of the chemical properties of sodium bromide, and these chemical properties can be used as an application of sodium bromide.

Sodium bromide is odourless, is white coloured having 2 units of covalent bond with the heat capacity of 298.15k, J/mol.k is readily soluble in water.


In the medical industry, it is termed as Sedonueral, used as a sedative-hypnotic drug and anticonvulsant, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries widely used as a sedative and anticonvulsant blsant. Potassium bromide is equally effective as sodium bromide because of bromide ion. But in 1975, bromides were removed from drugs because of its toxicity in the U.S such as Bromo-Seltzer. Also, sodium bromide is used for the treatment of epilepsy.


In organic synthesis, sodium bromide is widely used for the preparation of other bromide compounds. To convert alkyl chlorides to more reactive alkyl bromide we have sodium bromide as the source of the bromide nucleophile by Finkelstein reaction. Treating sodium bromide with chloride alkyl will get alkyl bromide as a product under certain proper conditions (suitable condition ) with side product salt sodium chloride(NaCl). Also, the photosensitive salt silver bromide is prepared using NaBr.


Sodium bromide can be used in conjunction with chlorine to disinfect the hot tubs and swimming pool.


In the petroleum industry, sodium bromide due to its high solubility in water is also used to prepare dense drilling to compensate for a possible overpressure arising in the column.


Whenever matters of safety arise while using sodium bromide, no need to worry because of its very low toxicity with oral. With a relatively long half-life(in excess of a week in humans) , bromide is a cumulative toxic. But for people who have low salt diets, sodium bromide is highly toxic.


Abstract: See, we have discussed many other points for sodium bromide also their properties, application, importance in the medical world, but still this is not as we know, these compound means science has vast areas for knowledge ….. Sodium bromide is an inorganic compound that is of great importance in our life. That's it from my side. 


Now discuss some questions on the topic of sodium bromide(NaBr)


Uses of NaBr

Like any other bromides, it is used as a sedative for medical purposes. In many health problems, insomnia, sedatives are used to cure it.


In the oil and gas drilling industry, sodium bromide is a principal consumer because of its displacing properties, which can be used for the extraction of oils.


As the bromide ion is getting replaced by the ion of the more positively charged ions, sodium bromide is used as an antiseptic. Hence sodium bromide has good and extensive use in medicinal purposes. In the pharmaceutical industry, too, sodium bromide is used as an antiseptic and as an anti-germ material.


Used a permanent in hair treatment formulations

As a function of relative humidity, we have measured infrared extinction spectra of aqueous NaBr aerosols at ambient temperature.


When they flow through the infrared absorption cell are measured spectroscopically and submicron-sized particles of aerosols atomized from an aqueous solution of NaBr solutions in different concentrations are dried.  After that, they are generally mixed with nitrogen at different ranges of humidity.


The diameters range estimated for dry particles is from 0.24 to 0.15 micron, as calculated from Mie extinction theory. Also, we have previously reported ones measured deliquescence and efflorescence relative humidities (35-40% and 25-30% respectively).


When there is a significant increase at relative humidity above 70%, results show that NaBr particles take up water only moderately over the deliquescence point. This indicates that the smaller particles take up little water and so only increase the size at saturation and the effect of particle size onto water uptake properties has been studied. From spectral data, we have calculated two factors which are particle composition and diameter growth.


These are shown to be persistent with those which are predicted from thermodynamics data and Kohler theory. At low humidities, 50cm-1 band centres of liquid water in NaBr aerosols relative to pure water are blue shifted. Also, we have discussed the above about particle structure and phase, together with atmospheric implications.


Solved Example

1. What kind of salt is sodium bromide?

Sodium bromide is a white, fully crystal-like substance. It is a compound made of sodium and bromide (a charged bromine atom). Its appearance resembles very closely regular table salt.

FAQs on Sodium Bromide

1. What is the pH of sodium bromide?

Sodium bromide is available in the color of white crystals, granules, or powder/white, cubic crystal options and it tastes a bit bad. Its other properties include Boiling Point that is 1390°C, Melting Point that is 755°C, Density/Specific Gravity that is 3.21, pH ranges between 6.5-8.0, and solubility in alcohol is moderate). In water, it is 94.6 g/100 g water at 25°C. It is the physical property of sodium chloride. It is essential to know the ph. of sodium bromide because it helps the doctors to know where and in which part of the body the use of sodium bromide is going to be. Now, we have to look after the ph. Factor so that no skin irritation in the living beings occurs and sodium chloride can be entirely safe for use.

2. What is the formula for sodium bromate?

Sodium bromate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula of NaBrO3, and it is another salt of the sodium of bromic acid. It is a very oxidizing agent that can increase the oxidation state number of the element to which it has been associated. Bromine can change valency and can react with sodium in multiple ways. Now it can be stated that we need to check the oxidation numbers in which the two radicals are acting to name the formula of the newly formed compounds based on their valency. Due to properties like such, both sodium bromate and sodium bromide possess similar properties.


Fun Fact


It is interesting that besides humans, the use of sodium bromide is prevalent for pets like dogs and cats. Veterinary doctors regularly use sodium bromide for the medication of pets like dogs and cats. It is a very interesting fact that sodium bromide is also used for hypnosis. It has a huge impact on the psychological effect in the body.

3. Describe the state of sodium bromide.

Yeah, sodium bromide is white in color having a solid-state. Dissolvable in mud. When heated very strongly in the air, it produces bromine gas. Also reacts with chlorine to generate liquid bromine.

4. For what sodium bromide can be used?

Sodium bromide can be used as an antiseptic, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, and as a sedative, also known as sedoneural. It was widely used as an anticonvulsant and as a sedative in the 19th and early 20th.

5. Which type of compound is it?

Sodium bromide (NaBr) is an ionically bonded compound. Bromine is highly electronegative and to transfer electrons from the Na atom to the Br atom has enough electromagnetic force between the Br and the Na atom.