Where is sodium commonly found?
Sodium does not exist simply as a metal in nature – it’s too reactive, so it is found as a compound. Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the earth’s crust at about 2.6 – 3.0%. The most common mineral is rock salt (sodium chloride, NaCl, or halite), but it occurs in many other minerals including sodium borate (borax), sodium carbonate (soda), sodium nitrate (Chile saltpetre). and sodium sulphate (thenardite).
