In a demonstration that defies basic assumptions in physics, researchers have created liquid sodium at room temperature.
As a member of the alkali metals—the first column in the periodic table—sodium is considered to be one of the simplest metals. Under normal conditions, it melts at about 98°C, just under water’s boiling point. The new observation that sodium can melt at just above room temperature, 27°C, confirms a growing suspicion among scientists that alkali metals are more complicated than they previously thought.