A soft silvery reactive element belonging to group 1 (formerly IA) of the periodic table (see alkali metals); a.n. 11; r.a.m. 22.9898; r.d. 0.97; m.p. 97.8°C; b.p. 882–889°C. Sodium occurs as the chloride in sea water and in the mineral halite. It is extracted by electrolysis in a Downs cell. The metal is used as a reducing agent in certain reactions and liquid sodium is also a coolant in nuclear reactors. Chemically, it is highly reactive, oxidizing in air and reacting violently with water (it is kept under oil). It dissolves in liquid ammonia to form blue solutions containing solvated electrons. Sodium is a major essential element required by living organisms. The element was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1807.
https://www.webelements.com/sodium/ Information from the WebElements site