A method has been developed for the determination of sodium in alumina using a selective ion electrode. The alumina sample is dissolved in ammonium hydrogen fluoride in platinum crucibles or sintered with boric acid using either platinum, nickel, or zirconium crucibles. Either dissolution technique completely extracts all available sodium. After dissolution, and in the presence of citrate to prevent aluminum hydroxide precipitation, the pH is adjusted to 8.7 with ammonium hydroxide, and the sodium concentration is determined by a sodium selective ion electrode.