
The elements which are new are temporarily named according to their atomic numbers. When the symbol representing an element is denoted by one letter only, it is written in uppercase.Įxample: 'N' represents Nitrogen, 'O' represents oxygen, etc. Example: 'Ca' representing Calcium, 'He' representing Helium, etc. The first letter of a symbol is capitalized with the second (or third) letters being in lowercase. Rules or Conventions followed to denote the Element using Symbol The symbol 'Fe' is used to denote Iron, as the Latin word for Iron is "Ferrum". Hence gold is denoted by the symbol ‘Au’.

Some symbols of a few elements are derived from their Latin or Greek names. One may ask, ‘How is the symbol of an element derived?’ We can see in the table above that most of the symbols are derived from the elements’ names, by taking either the first or first two letters from the English name of the element. Some symbols have three letters, they generally represent synthesized elements newly, with some being temporarily named like that. Example: Elements in group 1A are soft metals that react violently with water.Ī symbol representing a chemical element is a 'sign' or 'notation' that generally consists of one or two letters.

Elements arranged vertically in columns are called ‘Groups’ and elements arranged horizontally in rows are called ‘Periods’.įurther elements are grouped as per periodic trends and properties. Key Characteristics of the Periodic Table:Įlements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number.Įlements of the Periodic Table are denoted by a unique symbol and not its entire name, as some elements’ names can be long and complex in nature.Įlements are arranged vertically and horizontally.
