Essentially, the reaction is between the sodium element and the chlorine gas. The chlorine gas is created with the combination of hydrochloric acid and chlorine pool tablets. The chlorine gas is siphoned to a flask that has a layer of sand at the bottom; it causes the flask to have a yellowish tint. A coating of sand on the bottom of the bottle absorbs some of the heat energy produced during the reaction, and prevents it from breaking. A small piece of freshly-cut metallic sodium is placed in the flask, and then a small amount of water is added, which reacts with the sodium and causes it to become hot. The hot sodium then reacts with the chlorine, producing a bright yellow light, a great deal of heat energy, and fumes of sodium chloride, which deposits on the walls of the bottle. However the table salt produced is contaminated, so consumption is not recommended. We feature the portion of the reaction where the gas reacts with the sodium.