Contents
Key Stage 3
Meaning
A Chemical Symbol is a shortened name for an element.
About Chemical Symbols
- Chemical Symbols are used to write Balanced Symbol Equations.
- Most Chemical Symbols use the letters in their name for the symbol but some use letters from their old names.
Examples
| Hydrogen | Helium | Lithium | Beryllium |
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| Hydrogen has the symbol H. The mass number shows there is 1 particle in the nucleus and the atomic number shows that it has 1 proton. | Helium has the symbol He. The mass number shows there are 4 particles in the nucleus and the atomic number shows that it has 2 protons. | Lithium has the symbol Li. The mass number shows there are 7 particles in the nucleus and the atomic number shows that it has 3 protons. | Beryllium has the symbol Be. The mass number shows there are 9 particles in the nucleus and the atomic number shows that it has 4 protons. |
Some unusual symbols you may know:
- Sodium = Na
- Potassium = K
- Iron = Fe
- Tungsten = W
- Silver = Ag
- Gold = Au
- Lead = Pb
- Tin = Sn
- Mercury = Hg
Key Stage 4
Meaning
A Chemical Symbol is a shortened name for an element and how different elements are represented in chemical formulae.
About Chemical Symbols
- Chemical Symbols are used to write Balanced Symbol Equations.
- Most Chemical Symbols use the letters in their name for the symbol but some use letters from their old names.