Skipping a pound of sodium on a lake leads to these explosions! (Source)
@actualdonnie Because it could come in handy someday.
That happens because all alkali metals react violently in water and produce an alkali hydroxide. In this case sodium hydroxide. ( 2 Na + 2 H2O —> 2 NaOH + H2) sodium uses the O and H in water to create an OH+ the combustion creating an acid, because hydrogen had only 1 valance electron when it is excited enough to lose the electron it becomes a donor proton for an acid, (Sodium Hydroxide or better known as Lye)
Sorry I geeked out.. 😐The following illustrates the use of Francium, a relative of Sodium, for this.