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In a word, ionization. Elemental sodium, Na, has 1 electron in its outer shell that it can't wait to get rid of --- elements like electron shells empty or full and no in between. So, Na is very reactive. So reactive that mixed with water, it explodes. Chlorine is a gas that is so toxic that it has been used as a chemical weapon. It has 7 electrons in its outer shell, and will do anything to get one more to fill its shell.

Together, Na and Cl have a great arrangement: Na gives Cl the electron that it doesn't want, and Cl is very happy to have it. Now, Na+ has no outer electrons to react with, and Cl- has a full outer electron shell, so it, too, is non-reactive.

BTW, in one of my chem labs in college, someone left the jar of sodium open. The Na absorbed enough humidity from the air that it exploded. No one was in the area, fortunately, and we only found a few slivers of glass where the jar had been....

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