Chemical Elements History and Information Sodium

About the chemical element Sodium, its symbol, atomic number and weight, who discovered it and when.

The Atomic Elements and Their Uses

(Element) (Symbol) (Atomic number) (Atomic weight)

Sodium Na 11 22.9898

Discovered by Sir Humphry Davy of England in 1807. All land animals need sodium. It is excreted in sweat and urine and ingested in the form of table salt (Sodium chloride), seafood, and many vegetables--especially celery. In Roman times, when pure salt was a rarity because there were few developed salt mines, salt was pressed into bars and given to Roman soldiers as pay. This custom gave birth to the phrase "worth one's salt."