chemical symbols

Letters for elements

Chemical symbols are one- or two-letter abbreviations representing elements on the periodic table: H for hydrogen, O for oxygen, Fe for iron.

They combine to form chemical formulas showing molecular composition: H₂O for water, NaCl for table salt.

The symbols derive from element names in English or Latin—Fe from ferrum, Na from natrium.

Related

HEighth alphabetic character
BAlphabet runner-up
atomic weightsMass of element samples
periodic tableSystematic display of elements
table of elementsChart organizing all atoms

iron · molecular formulas · atomic theory · Au · isotopes · valence · coppers · leads · carbons · naming conventions · hydrogens · oxygens · golds · stoichiometry · Mendeleev · noble gases · atomic number · silvers

Categories

periodic tableperiodic table, elements, hydrogen, helium, carbon
chemistryatom, atoms, molecule, molecules, elements
abbreviationsMr, Mrs, Ms, Dr, Jr
symbolsrunes, asterisks, glyph, yin-yang, skull crossbones
Chemical Nomenclaturenomenclature, common names

Opposites

notation form

chemical symbolscommon names

Frequently occurring given names

representation type

chemical symbolsatomic models

Representations of elemental structure

physical models

Family

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