<P> Sodium is a chemical element with symbol Na ( from Latin natrium ) and atomic number 11 . It is a soft , silvery - white , highly reactive metal . Sodium is an alkali metal , being in group 1 of the periodic table , because it has a single electron in its outer shell that it readily donates , creating a positively charged atom -- the Na cation . Its only stable isotope is Na . The free metal does not occur in nature , but must be prepared from compounds . Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the Earth 's crust , and exists in numerous minerals such as feldspars , sodalite and rock salt ( NaCl ) . Many salts of sodium are highly water - soluble : sodium ions have been leached by the action of water from the Earth 's minerals over eons , and thus sodium and chlorine are the most common dissolved elements by weight in the oceans . </P>
<P> Sodium is a chemical element with symbol Na ( from Latin natrium ) and atomic number 11 . It is a soft , silvery - white , highly reactive metal . Sodium is an alkali metal , being in group 1 of the periodic table , because it has a single electron in its outer shell that it readily donates , creating a positively charged atom -- the Na cation . Its only stable isotope is Na . The free metal does not occur in nature , but must be prepared from compounds . Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the Earth 's crust , and exists in numerous minerals such as feldspars , sodalite and rock salt ( NaCl ) . Many salts of sodium are highly water - soluble : sodium ions have been leached by the action of water from the Earth 's minerals over eons , and thus sodium and chlorine are the most common dissolved elements by weight in the oceans . </P>
na is the symbol for which of the following chemical elements
na is the symbol for which of the following chemical elements
Sodium
Sodium