Click Here for Answer
Naming History
The chemical symbol and name for Sodium are each based on different languages versions of the same word. The name Sodium comes from the english word soda due to a medieval headache cure based on sodanum which was deremined to be sodium carbonate. The symbol for Sodium comes from the Latin word natrium which means soda.
Discovery
Sodium in the form of salt (NaCl) has been known since the Roman Empire where it was given to soldiers as part of there wages, which is the historical root of the word salary. Addiitonally, sodium bicarbonate (Na2CO3) is referred to in the Bible as a cleaning agent. During the industrial revolution many sodium compounds were used including salt and sodium carbonate (NaHCO3) but hte chemical compostion of these were unknown. In 1807 the English chemist Humphry Davy was able to reduce sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to elemental Sodium.
Characteristics
Sodium as a salt is essential for life and chemical industries, while Sodium metal is important in different comsumer products.
Sodium is the second alkali metal and has similar properties of the others.
In human blood Sodium is found in a much higher concentration in plasma (3,500 parts per million (ppm)) than in red blood cells (250 ppm), and is used to control osmotic pressure and blood pressure.
Sodium is also found in bones at around 10,000 ppm.
Human tissues vary in concentration of Sodium between 2,000 and 8,000 ppm.
Overall there is around 100 g of Sodium present in the average human body.
Sodium is a large component of the Earth's crust making up 23,000 ppm with it being the 6th most abundant element.
Seawater is also an area where Sodium is present in large amounts making up 10,500 ppm.
Naturally Occurring Minerals
Sodium is common in many naturally occuring minerals, however it is mainly as a counterion and not exploited for the Sodium it contains. Halite (NaCl) and trona (Na3(CO3)(HCO3)) are two minerals that are extracted to isolate Sodium. The global production of salt is around 250 million tonnes per year with China (60 million tonnes), USA (40 million tonnes), India (20 million tonnes) and Canada (12 million tonnes) being the largest producers annually.
Where can I find this element @ home
Sodium is consumer regularly and in large amounts in a normal diet where 2-20 g are consumed daily.
The most obvious location of Sodium in the home is in ordinary table salt (NaCl).
Some foods that have more than 100 mg of Sodium per 100 g of food are tuna, sardines, eggs, butter, cheese and pickles.
Normal vegtables have very small amount of Sodium, but celery and peas both contain a significant amount of Sodium.
Sodium chlroide (NaCl or table salt) is unique when relating to all other Sodium salts in that is cause the specific reaction on the tongue that we associate with salty flavor.
Table salt is also used in cooking to reduce bitterness by blocking cerain sensors on the toungue, as well as to effect the texture of the food at a molecular level where proteins will curl up more tightly in its presence.