Sodium compounds have been known since ancient times; salt (sodium chloride) has been an important commodity in human activities, as testified by the English word salary, referring to salarium, money paid to Roman soldiers for the purchase of salt.
sˈoʊdiəm kˈɑːmpaʊndz hɐvbɪn nˈoʊn sˈɪns ˈeɪntʃənt tˈaɪmz; sˈɔlt sˈoʊdiəm klˈoːɹaɪd hˈæzbiːn ɐn ɪmpˈoːɹtənt kəmˈɑːdᵻɾi ɪn hjˈuːmən æktˈɪvᵻɾiz, æz tˈɛstᵻfˌaɪd baɪ ðɪ ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ wˈɜːd sˈælɚɹi, ɹᵻfˈɜːɹɪŋ tə sælˈɛɹiəm, mˈʌni pˈeɪd tə ɹˈoʊmən sˈoʊldʒɚz fɚðə pˈɜːtʃɪs ʌv sˈɔlt.