Sodium
Sodio (Na, Z=11)
- Date
- 1807 · confidence high
- Place
- Royal Institution, London, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Humphry Davy
- People
- 👤 Humphry Davy1778–1829
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Davy isolated metallic sodium by electrolysis of molten sodium hydroxide using a voltaic pile, days after isolating potassium.
The symbol Na comes from the Latin 'natrium'.
What it led to
- Electrochemistry as a method of element discovery
- Sodium vapour lamps
- Coolant in fast reactors
Built on
Made possible
- Low-pressure sodium lampc. 1932
- Reduction of metals with sodium (aluminium, titanium)