The name derives from the English soda and Latin sodanum for “headache remedy”. The symbol Na derives from the Latin natrium for “natron” (soda in English). Sodium was discovered in 1807 by the English chemist Humphry Davy from electrolysis of caustic soda (NaOH).

11 11

Sodium is used as a heat exchanger in some nuclear reactors, and as a reagent in the chemicals industry. But sodium salts have more uses than the metal itself. The most common compound of sodium is sodium chloride (common salt). It is added to food and used to de-ice roads in winter.

Sodium is the sixth most abundant element on Earth. It is never found in its pure form because it is so reactive. It is only found in compounds such as sodium chloride (NaCL) or table salt.

The name is derived from the english word potash. The chemical symbol K comes from kalium, the Mediaeval Latin for potash, which may have derived from the arabic word qali, meaning alkali. Potassium is a soft, silvery-white metal, member of the alkali group of the periodic chart.

The metal is abundant enough to create coins but rare enough so that not everyone can produce them. Gold doesn’t corrode, providing a sustainable store of value, and humans are physically and emotionally drawn to it. Societies and economies have placed value on gold, thus perpetuating its worth.

Some industry experts are predicting that gold could be worth anywhere from $3,000–$5,000 per ounce in the next 5–10 years! For those who think gold prices will increase, they cite that people are now recognizing the value of gold, which will increase the demand, therefore increasing the value.

Highest price for gold: Historical gold price action. Gold hit US$2,067.15, the highest price for gold at the time of this writing, on August 7, 2020.

Gold Prices – 100 Year Historical Chart