Symbols of Elements

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Even before knowing what elements were, man started extracting them from their ores. A few metals like gold, silver, iron, copper, lead, tin and mercury were used even in the 1^st century A.D. A mention of them is made in the 'Charaka Samhita' - a medical treatise of ancient India. These metals were associated with a particular heavenly body.

Role of alchemists

Alchemists are the forerunners to the modern day chemists. Their quest was to convert base metals into gold using 'philosophers stone' an illusionary substance. Though unsuccessful on this front, they succeeded in separating and identifying arsenic, antimony and bismuth.

Insight into the nature of the names of some elements

• Hydrogen was named by Lavoisier using the Greek words 'Hydro' ie., water and 'Genes' meaning forming.

• Chlorine has its origin from Greek word - 'Chloros' - meaning greenish yellow, 'Bromos' means stench in Greek and 'Iodes' in Greek means violet.

• The word nickel has originated from a German word meaning 'Saton' or 'Old nick'. Cobalt comes from a German word - 'Globlin' or 'Evil Spirit'.

• Argon from Greek meaning 'Inactive'.

• Gold is an Anglo-Saxon word - 'Aurum'.

Elements named after places

Scandium (Sc) - found in Scandinavia

Thulium (Tm) - named after Thule the earlier name of Scandinavia.

Europium (Eu) - after the continent Europe.

Polonium (Po) - named after Curies after their home town.

Named after planets

Selenium (Se) - 'Seles' Greek name for the moon

Plutonium (Pu) - Neptunium (Np) Uranium (U)

Mercury was named after a planet but derives its symbol Hg from the Latin word 'Hydragyrum' meaning liquid silver.

Named after scientists

Curium (Cm) after Pierre and Marie Curie

Fermium (Fm) after Enrico Fermi

Einsteinium (Es) after Albert Einstein

Mendelevium (Md) after Dimitri Mendeleev

Symbol

A shorthand representation of an element is called a symbol. The symbol of any element is the first letter or the first letter and another letter of its English name or Latin name in English alphabets.

• The first letter is written in capital and the second letter in small.

• The second letter can be any letter in the name of the element, which is internationally accepted.

Symbols of common metals

Sl.No	Name in English	Name in any other language than english	Symbol
1.	Lithium	-	Li
2.	Sodium	Natrium(Latin)	Na
3.	Magnesium	-	Mg
4.	Aluminium	-	Al
5.	Potassium	Kalium(Latin)	K
6.	Calcium	-	Ca
7.	Vanadium	-	V
8.	Chromium	-	Cr
9.	Manganese	-	Mn
10.	Iron	Ferrum(Latin)	Fe
11.	Cobalt	-	Co
12.	Nickel	-	Ni
13.	Copper	Cuprum(Latin)	Cu
14.	Zinc	-	Zn
15.	Gallium	-	Ga
16.	Strontium	-	Sr
17.	Molybdenum	-	Mo
18.	Silver	Argentum(Latin)	Ag
19.	Cadmium	-	Cd
20.	Tin	Stannum(Latin)	Sn
21.	Antimony	Stibium(Latin)	Sb
22.	Barium	-	Ba
23.	Tungsten	Wolfram(German)	W
24.	Platinum	-	Pt
25.	Mercury	Hydrargyrum(Latin)	Hg
26.	Lead	Plumbum(Latin)	Pb
27.	Bismuth	-	Bi
28.	Polonium	-	Po
29.	Radium	-	Ra
30.	Uranium	-	U

Symbols of chemically active non-metals

Sl.No	Non-metal	Physical state	Symbol
1.	Hydrogen	Gas	H
2.	Nitrogen	Gas	N
3.	Oxygen	Gas	O
4.	Flourine	Gas	F
5.	Chlorine	Gas	Cl
6.	Bromine	Liquid	Br
7.	Astatine	Solid	At
8.	Carbon	Solid	C
9.	Iodine	Solid	I
10.	Sulphur	Solid	S
11.	Phosphorus	Solid	P
12.	Silicon	Solid	Si

Symbols of chemical inactive non-metals of noble gases

Sl.No	Noble gas	Symbol
1.	Helium	He
2	Neon	Ne
3.	Argon	Ar
4.	Krypton	Kr
5.	Xenon	Xe
6.	Radon	Rn