Why Is The Symbol For Sodium “Na” Instead of Starting With “S”?

Helium (He), lithium (Li), oxygen (O), neon (Ne) and many other elements are easy to guess what the symbols are, while the case of sodium is among the exceptions.

When we tinkered with the reason for this difference, we entered chemistry and plunged into history, and got out of there. to etymology We set sail and came across a very interesting vineyard.

First of all, it is useful to briefly talk about what sodium is:

The element with atomic number 11 is a soft and slippery metal. It is the fourth most abundant element in the earth’s crust and the first most abundant alkali metal. mainly NaCl (table salt) It is abundant in natural ingredients. Due to its highly reactive feature, it is never found in nature in pure and elemental form.

Sodium ions are essential for heart activities, transmission of nerve impulses of blood and body fluids, and regulation of some metabolic functions. It is harmful to health if consumed in excess in the form of table salt. There are many more uses and features, but boring Let’s not overwhelm you with technical information. And let’s focus on our main question.

The symbol “Na”, the chemical abbreviation for this element, comes from the element’s Latin name, “natrium”. But the answer is of course not that simple.

Why was the name “natrium” used in this abbreviation, which was first used in 1814 by a chemist named Jöns Jakob Berzelius? Natrium refers to Egyptian natron, which is a mineral form salt composed of hydrated sodium carbonate and Natrun Valley in Egypt It is very rich in sodium.

Natrun Valley in Egypt

The element was first used by the Ancient Egyptians. Used to relieve headaches. In fact, the word sodium comes from the word “sodanum”, which is used in the sense of “remedy for headache” in Latin, but its origin is Arabic.

High-quality soda was obtained in the Middle East from the ash of the “serpentine”.

Wormwood

Later from the 12th century It was imported to Europe. Here it was used in the Venetian glass industry. Sodium bicarbonate, on the other hand, was used in England in the late 18th century, and the term “soda water” appeared in the 1830s, meaning “water with sodium bicarbonate”.

It was called “soda” in Europe because the Arabic word for gentian is “suwwād” (You must have noticed the similarity). This is how the word “soda”, which we use today, has passed into our language.

Let us surprise you even more: the word suwwād, from the Arabic root swd, “sawda” is synonymous with the word.

the word “sawdā” meaning “black”, “melancholy”, “irrational desire, passion”; to Turkish “love” passed as. The word love has nothing to do with the verb “to love”, this word is pure Turkish.

Request sodium, natrium, soda, swd Then it turns out that the end of the business extends to love. Besides, it is meaningless to say “dark love”, the meaning of love is “black” anyway.