eli5: Why does NaCl not blow up in water like Na? Doesn’t the molecule breaks into Na+ / Cl- in water?
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>Doesn’t the molecule breaks into Na+ / Cl- in water
Yes it does, but **Na+ is very different from Na, and Cl- is very different from Cl**. And the difference, having gained/lost 1 electron, is what makes those two elements so reactive in the first place!
**Sodium** – Na is highly reactive because its outer “shell” has one lone electron. It really “wants to” get rid of that straggler and just have the full, complete shell underneath that as its outer shell. When it does that, losing one electron, the Na becomes Na+ (electrons are negative so when you lose one you now have a +1 charge). So *the Na+ in NaCl is a Na that has already lost its reactive electron and is sitting stable and happy* with a full outer shell.
**Chlorine** – Cl is like the same thing in reverse. It’s reactive because its outer shell is only missing one electron. It really “wants to” gain one more electron, and will rip one off of nearly anything. When it does that, the Cl becomes Cl- (electrons are negative so when you gain one you now have a -1 charge). So *the Cl- is NaCl is a Cl that has already gained an electron and is sitting stable and happy* with a full outer shell.
Na+ and Cl- are like the “ash” of Na and Cl. It’s the already-reacted remnants of a formerly-reactive substance. [You can literally mix Na and Cl in a beaker and they violently burn and explode, leaving white powdery NaCl as the product at the bottom.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji_25I_q4LQ)
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