The element sodium (na) is a soft solid that will react explosively with water. the element chlorine (cl) is a toxic gas. when these two elements combine, they produce a stable, crystalline solid known commonly as table salt (nacl). how would you explain this?
select one:

when substances combine to form new substances, the properties of the reactants are preserved.

when substances combine to form new substances, the properties of the resulting substances will be different than those of the reactants.

sodium and chlorine become different elements during the reaction.

the properties of each of the two original elements are combined to give salt its properties.