Properties and uses of the element sodium. That's sodium for you — a wild and wooly element that reacts easily and mixes with other elements to make some of the most common substances in daily life.

But sodium is only element number 11, out of a total of 118. “It’s hard to say if it will ever be possible to map the entire drip line,” says Jones.

Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the world, Sayers said, and it can be extracted from seawater. "Between the manufacturing costs and battery materials, ...

Disodium phosphate is a chemical added to foods, cosmetics, and other products. It’s useful as a preservative and a flavor enhancer, among other things. This artificial type of salt is made from ...