The product, sodium chloride, has different properties from the reactants, sodium and chlorine, because during the chemical reaction, the atoms of sodium and chlorine bond together to form a new compound with different chemical and physical properties. Sodium chloride has a different crystal structure, melting point, boiling point, and solubility compared to the individual elements of sodium and chlorine. Additionally, the chemical bonding between sodium and chlorine in sodium chloride is different from the metallic bonding in sodium and the covalent bonding in chlorine, resulting in a new substance with distinct properties.
