Symbols Of Elements

Each element is assigned some unique symbol which is usually an English letter (or two). These symbols are used universally to represent and uniquely identify that particular element and are also used for scientific purposes to represents elements in a clean and concise manner. Thus we can say that,

Symbols of element are shorthand to uniquely identify and represent that element.

The symbols of the elements are widely used to represent the elements in chemical formulas, equations, and other representations of chemical reactions.

How Symbols are Derived?

The symbols of elements are derived from the name of the element in English or another language eg. the symbol of Hydrogen is H, that comes from its name in English. It is important to note that the symbol of an element is usually a capital letter and when it contains two letters, the second letter is smaller letter. However, in cases where the first two letters are already taken, or for historical reasons, the symbol may not directly correspond to the element’s name (e.g., Fe for iron comes from its Latin word “ferrum”).

Also Check,

• Electrons
• Protons
• Neutrons

Everything in the universe is composed of basic elements, and at their smallest level, these elements are atoms. There are a total of 118 elements in the modern periodic table out of which 98 are found in nature rest are chemically synthesized in laboratories. An atom of any element is composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons and possesses a different property from the other.

This article is the tabulated view of atomic number (number of protons), atomic mass, and number of neutrons of all 118 elements along with their symbols.