Sodium is an element in the periodic table with the chemical symbol Na. Sodium, discovered by the English chemist Sir Humphry Davy, is in the group of alkali metals on the periodic table and is pale, silver/white in colour. Sodium, found in the earth's crust, is important to society. Sodium comes from the Arabic word “suda” meaning headache because sodium carbonate was used as a remedy for headaches. It is also one of the compounds best known to the ancients (Newton). It is a component of sodium chloride (NaCl) which is found everywhere in nature (Sodium Lenntech). Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and the second most abundant element dissolved in sea water (Sodium Lenntech). Although sodium is abundant on Earth, it is never found in free nature (The Element). Our bodies need sodium to function properly. The body needs sodium to control muscles and nerves (Sodium in). The body also uses sodium to control blood volume and pressure. Sodium is a white phosphorescent metal that is always found as part of a compound (Newton). It is very easy to cut and once cut it takes on a very opaque color because it is exposed to oxygen (Sodium Lenntech). Sodium must be stored in a moisture-free environment as it is highly reactive (Element). It has a chemical symbol Na and has an atomic mass of 22.99 and a periodic number of three (Bentor). It was founded hundreds of years ago. Sodium was founded in 1807 by an English chemist named Sir Humphrey Davy (Bentor). It was found through the electrolysis of caustic soda (The Element). This means that he found a way to extract sodium from compounds (Newtons). First Sir Humphrey Davy extracted a series of active elements and then… middle of paper… lights and rubber, a coolant for nuclear reactors, necessary to keep the human body under control and functioning properly. Sodium was first founded by Sir Humphry Davy in 1807 and is now used for many different reasons in society. Works Cited Bentor, Yinon. “Periodic Table: Sodium,” Chemical Elements.com. 2012. Network. 15 April 2014. "The element sodium". Jefferson Laboratory. nd Web. April 16, 2014. Mattes, R.D., Donnelly, D. Relative contributions of dietary sources of sodium. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 1991 Au; 10(4): 383-393. "Sodium". Have a good long and healthy life. August 16, 2011. Web. April 30, 2014. Newton, David E. Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Krypton. vol. 3. Michigan: Farmington Hills, 1999. Print. "Sodium in the diet". Medline Plus. United States National Library of Medicine. 26 February 2014. Web. 14 April 2014. “Sodium”. Lenntech. nd Web. 16 April. 2014.