Making Sodium Metal (The Castner Process)

In this video, we have a go at a very interesting and historically significant high temperature electrochemical experiment.
The Castner process involves the electrolysis of molten sodium hydroxide, generating water and oxygen on the anode, and sodium metal on the cathode. This is the procedure originally used to isolate sodium, and served as the industrial route for its production for some time.

By electrolysing a molten bath of sodium hydroxide, we are capable of making and extracting around 0.54 g of metallic sodium from about 90 minutes of work, which isn't too bad for a 'proof of concept' run.

You can find my videos on making sodium hydroxide here:
Explainig how it works:    • The Chloralkali Process (How To Make ...  
Optimising the process:    • Sodium Hydroxide - Diaphragm Electrol...  
Building a sodium hydroxide generator:    • A Chloralkali Cell - Diaphragm Electr...  

You can also find a similar video of mine, about making aluminium metal, here:
   • Making Aluminium (The Hall-Heroult Pr...