This page details where you can find Sodium and Sodium Nitrate in No Man’s Sky. We’ll cover the best sources for each of these key materials and how to find them on planets. We’ll also cover their primary uses in recharging Hazard Protection modules for the Exosuit, and the Deflector Shield in Starships.

Icon	Element	Uses
	Sodium	Recharging the Hazard Protection on Exosuits, and the Deflector Shield on Starships
	Sodium Nitrate	A more efficient way to recharge the above modules

How to Find Sodium and Sodium Nitrate in No Man’s Sky¶

Scan for Sodium-rich plants¶

The main source for Sodium in No Man’s Sky is from Sodium-rich plants. You’ll find plenty of these on almost any planet, and the best way to identify them is by using the Scanner system built into the Exosuit. You can activate this at any time while exploring a planet by pressing on your keyboard. You’ll then see a number of different icons pop up around you, including those for Oxygen sources, Di-hydrogen sources, and Sodium sources. The Sodium icons are yellow, with “Na” to indicate the appropriate chemical element symbol. Once you reach one of the icons, you’ll find a type of flora which can be harvested by interacting with it.

Scan for Sodium Nitrate Crystal Minerals¶

You can find Sodium Nitrate in much the same way as regular Sodium, by scanning an area of a planet as you explore it. However, Sodium Nitrate is only found in crystal mineral form, rather than from a plant. It is much more rare than regular Sodium, so you may need to spend a fair bit of time searching for it. It will pop up with a yellow icon when you scan an area, with the chemical element symbol “Na+”. You will need the Advanced Mining Laser module for your Multi-Tool before you can extract Sodium Nitrate from the crystal minerals, so be sure to get the blueprint for this from the Space Anomaly if you don’t already have it.

Recharge the Hazard Protection Unit and Deflector Shield¶

The main use for Sodium and Sodium Nitrate is to recharge the Hazard Protection Unit on the Exosuit, and the Deflector Shield on a Starship. You can do this easily by accessing the quickslot menu (by pressing ) as you roam a planet to charge the Hazard Protection, or from the equivalent menu while you’re inside a starship. Sodium Nitrate is much more efficient than Sodium in terms of charging both of these modules, so you should aim to have a decent stack of this whenever you go out exploring, especially if you’re visiting a planet with a hazardous atmosphere, or if there’s a significant risk of encountering hostile starships.

Other Sources of Sodium and Sodium Nitrate¶

You can find Sodium in some larger resource deposits on planets, or you can find both Sodium and Sodium Nitrate for sale from visiting pilots at space stations, or from any Galactic Trade Terminal, depending on what the local economy has to offer. Aside from these sources, you can also refine Sodium and Sodium Nitrate using the materials shown below.

Refine Sodium¶

Material 1	Material 2	Output
Marrow Bulb	N/A	Sodium
Marrow Bulb	Carbon	Sodium

Refine Sodium Nitrate¶

Material 1	Material 2	Output
Sodium	Carbon	Sodium Nitrate
Sodium	Condensed Carbon	Sodium Nitrate
Sodium	Oxygen	Sodium Nitrate
Sodium	Pugneum	Sodium Nitrate
Crystal Sulphide	N/A	Sodium Nitrate
Sodium	Faecium	Sodium Nitrate
Sodium	Marrow Bulb	Sodium Nitrate
Sodium	Kelp Sac	Sodium Nitrate
Sodium	Nitrogen	Sodium Nitrate
Ferrite Dust	Nitrogen	Sodium Nitrate
Pure Ferrite	Nitrogen	Sodium Nitrate
Magnetised Ferrite	Nitrogen	Sodium Nitrate

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(1 of 4) You can scan the local area by pressing C to see what elements are in the area.