Response: sodium + water → sodium hydroxide + hydrogen
Clarification:
1) The initial part of the statement "sodium combines with water" indicates that these pure substances serve as the reactants.
Sodium belongs to the alkali metals (group 1: Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr).
A common characteristic of alkali metals is their reactive behavior with water, resulting in the formation of the respective hydroxide and hydrogen gas.
2) The following words, "to produce" suggest that what comes next represents the products of the reaction. In chemical equations, this is indicated by the arrow →
3) Finally, it specifies the products of the reaction: sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas.
4) The word equation observes the sequence reactants → products, translates here as sodium + water → sodium hydroxide + hydrogen
5) Using chemical symbols and formats, this can be represented as:
Na(s) + H₂O (l) → NaOH(aq) + H₂(g).
