Question

Sodium metals are kept in kerosene oil. Why?

Answer 1

Hint: Sodium metal is a group I element. Now try to remember all important properties of this group related to Sodium.

Complete step by step answer:
Sodium is a very soft silvery-white metal. Sodium is the most common alkali metal and the sixth most abundant element on Earth, comprising 2.8 percent of Earth’s crust.
Sodium and potassium metals are kept in kerosene or in dry mineral oil. Both of these metals are in Group 1 on the periodic table. All metals in that group are very reactive with water, including moisture in the atmosphere.
You may have seen videos where people have thrown chunks of sodium metal into bodies of water. Potassium reacts even more violently.
Sodium and Potassium are highly reactive metals and react vigorously with the oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture present in the air such that it may even cause a fire. To prevent this explosive reaction, Sodium is kept immersed in kerosene because Sodium doesn’t react with kerosene. It protects these metals from being exposed to any moisture in the air that would cause these metals to react, potentially violently.

Note: Sodium can be cut with a knife at room temperature but is brittle at low temperatures. It conducts heat and electricity easily and exhibits the photoelectric effect (emission of electrons when exposed to light) to a marked degree.
Two of the earliest uses of metallic sodium were in the manufacture of sodium cyanide and sodium peroxide.