Modern Symbols of Elements
In order to write the chemical reactions conveniently, each element is represented by a separate symbol.The symbol of an element is the "first letter" or the "first letter and another letter" of the English name or Latin name of the element. For example,
The symbol of Hydrogen is H (First letter of name)
The symbol of Oxygen is O (First letter of name)
So, in the case of hydrogen and oxygen, the first letters of their English names are taken as their symbols. There are, however, some elements whose names begin with the same letter. For example, the names of elements Carbon, Calcium, Chlorine and Copper, all begin with the same letter C. In such cases, one of the elements is given a "one letter" symbol but all other elements are given "two letter" symbols. The "two letters" are the "first letter" and "another letter" of the English name or Latin name of the element. Please note that this "another letter" may or may not be the "second letter" of the name. Thus,
The symbol of Carbon is C (First letter of name)
The symbol of Calcium is Ca (First and second letter of name)
The symbol of Chlorine is Cl (First and third letter of name)
The symbol of Copper is Cu (First and second letter of its Latin name Cuprum)
It should be noted that in a 'two letter' symbol, the first letter is the 'capital letter' but the second letter is the 'small letter'. The chemical symbols of some of the important elements derived from their English names are given below :
Notes
Atoms and Molecules - Notes
2. Monovalent Cations (Cations Having a Valency of 1+)
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3. Divalent Cations (Cations Having a Valency of 2+)
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4. Trivalent Cations (Cations Having a Valency of 3+)
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6. an example, let us give the significance of symbol C
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7. Formulae of Some Molecular Compounds
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9. Molecular Formulae of Some Common Elements
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10. Explanation of the Law of Conservation of Mass
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11. 2. A Negatively Charged Ion is Known as Anion
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13. As an example, let us give the significance of the formula H
2O
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14. Simple Ions and Compound Ions (Polyatomic Ions)
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21. Gram Atomic Mass And Gram Molecular Mass
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28. 1. A Positively Charged Ion is Known as Cation
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34. Divalent Anions (Anions Having a Valency of 2-)
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35. Molecular Masses of Some Common Elements
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37. Explanation of the Law of Constant Proportions
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39. Significance of the Formula of a Substance
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42. Symbols Derived from Latin Names of the Elements
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45. Valencies of Some Common Metal Elements Valencies of Some Common Non-Metal Elements
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46. Atomic Masses of Some Common Elements
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47. Writing Of Formulae Of Molecular Compounds
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50. Writing Of Formulae Of Ionic Compounds
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