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💡 A world code
Imagine every scientist writing gold their own way. Chaos! Symbols are a shared code so scientists everywhere read the same element the same way.
By 1869 about 69 elements were known; today we know about 118 . Dalton introduced pictorial symbols in 1803; in 1813 Berzelius suggested letter symbols from element names. Today IUPAC approves the names and symbols.
How are element symbols written (IUPAC rules)?
- Usually the first letter , or first two letters, of the name.
- First letter is a capital ; the second (if any) is small — e.g. Al (not AL), Co (not CO).
- Some come from Latin/Greek/German names — Fe ( ferrum ), Hg ( hydrargyros ), W ( wolfram ).
| Name of the element | Symbol | Name of the element | Symbol | Name of the element | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium | Al | Copper (Cuprum) | Cu | Nitrogen | N |
| Argon | Ar | Fluorine | F | Oxygen | O |
| Barium | Ba | Gold (Aurum) | Au | Potassium (Kalium) | K |
| Boron | B | Hydrogen | H | Silicon | Si |
| Bromine | Br | Iodine | I | Silver (Argentum) | Ag |
| Calcium | Ca | Iron (Ferrum) | Fe | Sodium (Natrium) | Na |
| Carbon | C | Lead (Plumbum) | Pb | Sulfur | S |
| Chlorine | Cl | Magnesium | Mg | Uranium | U |
| Cobalt | Co | Neon | Ne | Zinc | Zn |
⏸▶ Pause and Ponder
- 8. (Open) Name a new element after yourself and choose a symbol that follows IUPAC rules — a capital first letter and a small second letter (e.g. “Darium, Da”), not already used.
- 9. If everyone used different symbols for the same element, communication would break down — scientists worldwide could misunderstand each other and make errors.
Important Definitions
- Chemical symbol — a short internationally agreed representation of an element; first letter capital, second small.
