Concept Cartoon: Sodium rich mineral water

Yesterday I drank mineral water. The label said “sodium-rich”. But what does that mean? I thought sodium was a metal? How can we drink metals?

You shouldn’t drink that! Sodium is a very dangerous and reactive metal!

Yes, sodium is a metal. But water contains dissolved sodium. That’s why it is not that dangerous. “Sodium-rich” means that a lot of sodium was dissolved in the water.

How can you dissolve a metal? I think that a reaction occurred and the sodium atoms are somehow moving freely. That is also why water conducts electricity, right?

Sodium atoms are neutral. Water molecules are also neutral. How can it conduct electricity?