chemical symbol
Periodic table shorthand
A chemical symbol is a one- or two-letter abbreviation representing an element on the periodic table: H for hydrogen, Fe for iron, Au for gold.
The symbols derive from element names in various languages—Fe from Latin *ferrum*, Au from *aurum*.
Chemical symbols combine in formulas to show molecular composition: H₂O, CO₂, NaCl.
H
Eighth alphabetic character
Fe · Au · Ag · K · Cl · Pb · Hg · subscript · superscript · formula
hydrogen
Simplest atomic element
- oxygenElement eight, colorless gas
- carbonSixth element, atomic symbol C
- nitrogenElement seven, colorless gas
helium · lithium · sodium · potassium · iron · gold · silver · copper · calcium · sulfur
- periodic tableperiodic table, elements, hydrogen, helium, carbon
- Chemistry Notationmolecular formula, subscript, superscript, coefficient, empirical formula
- chemistryatom, atoms, molecule, molecules, elements
- Shorteningsabbreviation, acronym, initialism, contraction, truncation
chemical symbolcommon name
Ordinary everyday designation
chemical formula · molecular formula · chemical equation · nomenclature · trade name
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