Chemical symbol

WikiDoc Resources for Chemical symbol
Articles
Most recent articles on Chemical symbol Most cited articles on Chemical symbol Review articles on Chemical symbol Articles on Chemical symbol in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Chemical symbol Images of Chemical symbol Photos of Chemical symbol Podcasts & MP3s on Chemical symbol Videos on Chemical symbol
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Chemical symbol Bandolier on Chemical symbol TRIP on Chemical symbol
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Chemical symbol at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Chemical symbol Clinical Trials on Chemical symbol at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Chemical symbol NICE Guidance on Chemical symbol NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Chemical symbol CDC on Chemical symbol
Books
Books on Chemical symbol
News
Chemical symbol in the news Be alerted to news on Chemical symbol News trends on Chemical symbol
Commentary
Blogs on Chemical symbol
Definitions
Definitions of Chemical symbol
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Chemical symbol Discussion groups on Chemical symbol Patient Handouts on Chemical symbol Directions to Hospitals Treating Chemical symbol Risk calculators and risk factors for Chemical symbol
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Chemical symbol Causes & Risk Factors for Chemical symbol Diagnostic studies for Chemical symbol Treatment of Chemical symbol
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Chemical symbol
International
Chemical symbol en Espanol Chemical symbol en Francais
Business
Chemical symbol in the Marketplace Patents on Chemical symbol
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Chemical symbol

Overview

See also chemical formula.

A chemical symbol is an abbreviation or short representation of the name of a chemical element, generally assigned in relation to its Latin name. Natural elements all have symbols of one or two letters; some man-made elements have temporary symbols of three letters.

Chemical symbols are listed in the periodic table and are used as shorthand and in chemical equations, e.g.,

2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O

Because chemical symbols are often derived from the Latin or Greek name of the element, they may not bear much similarity to the common Englis name, e.g., Na for sodium (Latin natrium) and Au for gold (Latin aurum).

In China, each chemical element is assigned an ideograph as its symbol; most of them have been explicitly created for this purpose.

Chemical symbols may also be changed to show if one particular isotope of an atom that is specified, as well as to show other attributes such as ionization and oxidation state of a chemical compound.

Examples of families

• Alkali Metals
• Alkaline Earth Metals
• Transition Metals
• Halogen Gases
• Inert Gases (Noble Gases)

Examples of physical properties

• Density
• Boiling Point 212 degrees F
• Melting Point
• Conductivity
• Heat Capacity

Examples of chemical properties:

• Valence
• Reactivity
• Radioactivity

For complete listings of the chemical elements and their symbols, see:

• List of elements by symbol
• List of elements by name
• List of elements by number
• Periodic table of the elements

External links

• http://www.chem4kids.com/files/elem_families.html