What element has the symbol 'Na'?

The story behind the answer

Sodium is the element with the symbol Na. The symbol comes from the Latin name natrium (from “natron,” a natural soda), but the accepted English name is sodium. That’s why “Natrium” appears as a tempting choice, yet the correct answer in English is Sodium. By contrast, Nitrogen is N and Niobium is Nb.

Sodium is a soft, highly reactive alkali metal (Group 1). It forms common table salt, NaCl, with chlorine. Memory tip: think “Na” in NaCl (table salt) → Sodium. Or remember “Na = natrium origin, but sodium in English.” Humphry Davy first isolated sodium in 1807 by electrolyzing molten sodium hydroxide.