Symbols for the elements

Major Elements Mass Percent (in alphabetical order) 

The names of the chemical elements have come from many sources. Often an element s name is derived from a Greek, Latin, or German word that describes some property of the element. For example, gold was originally called aurum, a Latin word meaning shining dawn, and lead was known as plumbum, which means heavy. The names for chlorine and iodine come 

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We all know that certain chemical elements, such as calcium, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron, are essential for humans to live. However, many other elements that are present in tiny amounts in the human body are also essential to life. Examples are chromium, cobalt, iodine, manganese, and copper. Chromium assists in the metabolism of sugars, cobalt is present in vitamin B12, iodine is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, manganese appears to play a role in maintaining the proper calcium levels in bones, and copper is involved in the production of red blood cells. 

It is becoming clear that certain trace elements are very important in determining human behavior. For example, lithium (administered as lithium carbonate) has been a miracle drug for some people afflicted with bipolar disorder, a disease that produces oscillatory behavior between inappropriate highs and the blackest of depressions. Although its exact function remains unknown, lithium seems to moderate the levels of neurotransmitters (compounds that are essential to nerve function), thus relieving some of the extreme emotions in sufferers of bipolar disorder. 

We often use abbreviations to simplify the written word. For example, it is much easier to put MA on an envelope than to write out Massachu- 

In the symbol for an element, only the first letter is capitalized. 

Sometimes, however, the two letters used are not the first two letters in the name. For example. 

The symbols for some other elements are based on the original Latin or Greek name. 

A list of the most common elements and their symbols is given in Table 4.3. You can also see the elements represented on a table in the inside front cover of this text. We will explain the form of this table (which is called the periodic table) in later chapters. 

During the powerful development of chemistry in the 18 century the need for appropriate symbols for the elements became obvious. Proposals were made, many of them of the same type as the old ones but with different geometric signs for different elements. J. J. Berzelius in 1813 formulated a simple, brilliant proposal Let the first letter in the name of the element be the symbol Or two letters from the element s name. But select the letters from the Latin name of the element Then it will be intelligible in all countries . 

Element Latin Name Chemical Symbol Element Latin name Chemical symbol 

The new system rapidly became accepted in Europe and America. As new elements were discovered and named they were given names and designations in accordance with Berzelius original principle. Only about element 41. niobium, have opinions differed right up to our own time. As described in the niobium chapter, the element has had the name columbium with the symbol Cb in America and niobium with the 

It is very satisfactory that the same chemical symbolic language is used aU over the world irrespective of the type of the national language. 

Brownlow, Geochemistry, 2 ed., Prentice Hall, New York, 1996 G. Faure, Principles of Isotope Geology, 2 ed., John Wiley Sons, New York, 1982 Stuart R. and Scott M. McLennan, The Continental Crust its Composition and Evolution, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 1985, p.l5 E. Rancke-Madsen, Grundstoffernes Opdagelsehistorie. G.E.C. Gad. Copenhagen, 1984, pp. 93 97 

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Other methods for indicating or implying the presence of an atom in a nonstandard valence state have been used, especially the use of the prefix hydro e.g. 108). Such methods are sometimes convenient for simple molecules, but they are difficult to apply generally. A more general method that has seen extensive use utilizes the italicized symbol for the element with a superscript Roman numeral to indicate the valence (e.g. 109). This method has been objected to, however, because of ambiguity the superscript Roman number is also used to indicate oxidation number in inorganic compounds, and italicized atomic symbols are customarily used as locants for substituents. The A convention is a modification of the principle of this method, and avoids the objection. It was made a Provisional Recommendation of lUPAC in 1981. 

Write the atomic symbol for the element whose ion has a — 2 charge, has 20 more neutrons than electrons, and has a mass number of 126. 

Name and give the symbol for the element with the characteristic given below ... 

Molecules are made up of atoms in definite numbers and definite arrangements. Models and symbols for the elements aid us in showing the... 

This space Jf is the set of all functions f(x) satisfying Eq. (8-2), and is in fact self-dual, because the complex conjugate of any function that satisfies Eq. (8-2), itself also satisfies Eq. (8-2), and so is in Jf. It is to be emphasized that the symbol /> represents the function f(x) with its entire range of values, not just the numerical value of the function at some arbitrary point. The variable x does not appear in the symbol /> for the element of... 

The number of electric charges possessed by an ion (corresponding to its valency) is indicated by writing as a superscript one or more positive or negative signs after the chemical symbol for the element or the radical concerned according as to whether the ion is positive or negative in character. Thus, Na+ depicts the univalent sodium ion, Cl the univalent chloride ion, SO4- the divalent sulfate ion, and Cu2+ the divalent cupric ion. 

The sum of the number of protons plus number of neutrons in the isotope is called the mass number of the isotope. Isotopes are usually distinguished from each other by their mass numbers, given as a superscript before the chemical symbol for the element. Carbon-twelve is an isotope of carbon with a symbol l2C. 

EXAMPLE 3.14. Write the electron dot symbols for the elements Li through Ne. 

Care a small p indicates pressure, yet a big P is the symbol for the element phosphorus. Similarly, a big V indicates volume and a small v is the symbol for velocity. 

The table uses a system of symbols for the elements and a system of conventions for atomic weights it employs a classification, or a visual array, that groups the symbols so that their relations and properties are immediately suggested to the viewer who knows the principles of classification and a few facts. Deductions can be made both to the facts that established the table and to the facts that were unknown when the table was first set out. Here is a scheme that is an explanatory and predictive model and an icon in both the semiotic and the popular senses of the word. But its power comes from visual display, from image, not the principles and facts that can be recorded in ordinary or conventional language. 

This information is normally shown as a superscript (atomic mass) and a subscript (atomic number) to the symbol for the element. Hence 1%C represents the isotope of carbon (atomic number 6) with the atomic mass of 14. In practice the subscript is often omitted because the atomic number is unique to the element that is represented by the appropriate letter (e.g. C for carbon). For simplicity in the spoken form and often in the written form, isotopes are often referred to as carbon-14, phosphorus-32, etc. 

Figure 5.2 This illustration shows the relationship between the four elements and the four qualities. Alchemical symbols for the elements are shown in the corners of the center diamond. The white star in the center represents the Quinta Essentia, or the fifth element. (Robert M. Place)...

The basic materials of systematic chemical nomenclature are the element names and symbols, which are, of themselves, trivial, with the exception of the systematic, provisional names and symbols for the elements of atomic number greater than 109. These provisional names will be superseded eventually by trivial names and symbols. In any case, they make little impact on general chemical practice. 

To determine the electron dot structure of any element, count the number of electrons in that element s valence shell. Then draw that number of dots around the chemical symbol for the element. To do so, imagine the chemical symbol as a square. Start from the top of the symbol and, going clockwise, put one dot on each side until you run out of valence electrons. Don t double up on any side until you ve gone around the square once. 

The definition of pH represents the measure of the activity of hydrogen ions in a solution at a given temperature. It is derived from a combination of p for the word power and H for the symbol for the element hydrogen. Mathematically, pH is the negative log of the activity of hydrogen ions. This relationship is illustrated in the formula... 

The electronic configuration and the RusseiKSaunders term symbols for the elements as determined spectroscopically or as predicted are given in Table 2-4. It must be emphasized that these electronic con-... 

A compound is represented by its chemical formula, in which the symbols for the elements are written together. The chemical formula for sodium chloride is NaCl and that for ammonia is NH3. Numerical subscripts indicate the ratio in which the atoms combine. By convention, the subscript 1 is understood and omitted. So the chemical formula NaCl tells us that in the compound sodium chloride there is one sodium for every one chlorine, and the chemical formula NH3 tells us that in the compound ammonia there is one nitrogen atom for every three hydrogen atoms, as Figure 2.12 shows. 

Once you have learned the symbols for the elements, you will easily recognize and understand formulas. A formula is the shorthand notation used to identify the composition of a molecule. It includes the symbol of each element in the molecule, with numerical subscripts to show how many atoms of each element are present if there are more than one. For example, the formula for... 

It is customary to include ck in the column headings along with the symbol for the elements in 4k (e.g. 3totally symmetric representation T i-... 

Where possible, a general structural formula ranged right on the title line indicates the typical structure(s) of the members of each class of group of compounds. In these formulae, the following general symbols are used in addition to the usual symbols for the elements. 

There is a useful notation system for defects in ionic crystals. Either the chemical symbol for the element or V for a vacancy indicates what is on a lattice site. A subscript of either the chemical symbol for the element or i if it is an interstial site indicates what is normally on the site. The charge, relative to the... 

Q iiwi Identify the group number for each of these sets of elements. Then choose two of these groups and write the symbols for the elements within it. 

Examples are given below on how one might use this information to prepare a solution of a given concentration. Assume that one needs to prepare 1 mol L-1 NaCl solution. The first thing that is needed is the molecular wei ght (MW) of NaCl, which is the sum of the atomic weights of Na+ (22.99 g mol 1) (g = grams) and Cl- (35.45 g mol-1) (MW NaCl = 58.44 g). Therefore, to make 1 mol L-1 NaCl solution, one needs to dissolve 58.44 g of NaCl in sufficient solute (e.g., distilled water) to make a total volume of 1 L. Hence, 1 mol L-1 NaCl is also 1 eq L 1 NaCl or one mol L-1 Na and 1 mol L-1 Cl. In the preceding statement, the symbols for the elements do not include valence numbers. 

Antimony has always held a special place in alchemy. Known from very ancient times, other names for antimony are Mestem, Asinat, Stimmi and Stibium from which we get our symbol for the element Sb. Antimony is considered a toxic metal, very similar to arsenic. The fascination with this material led to abuse and scams which caused the death of many who had heard of its healing virtues. This provoked Parliament in 1566 to forbid its use in medicine for about one hundred years. 

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