Question

What is sodium hydride and what are its uses?

Answer 1

Hint: A binary compound of metal with hydrogen is known as hydride. They are different types of hydrides. One of them is sodium hydride with the molecular formula of $ NaH $ the metal atom in sodium hydride is sodium. It can be used as a reducing agent and also for the storage of hydrogen in fuel cells.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
Generally, hydrogen will exist as $ {H^ + } $ but in the hydrides family hydrogen will exist as anion as $ {H^ - } $ . It combines with any metal like sodium, lithium potassium to form a compound named hydride.
Sodium hydride is a chemical compound that belongs to the hydride family with the molecular formula of $ NaH $ . It is a salt-like hydride composed of $ N{a^ + } $ and $ {H^ - } $ ions.
There were so many uses of sodium hydride in chemicals. Some of them are:
It can be used as a strong combustible base in organic synthesis.
As a strong base, it can deprotonate some Bronsted acids to form corresponding sodium derivatives.
It can be used in making of sulphur ylides, which converts ketones into epoxides.
Sodium hydride as a reducing agent, it can reduce boron trifluoride into diborane.
The silicon-silicon and sulphur-sulphur bonds can also be reduced by sodium hydride.

Note:
Sodium hydride can ignite in air, when it comes into contact with water, it can release hydrogen which is flammable. Hence, precautions must be taken while handling sodium hydride in the laboratory. Reactions involving sodium hydride must be done in an air free environment.