A chemical symbol represents what of an element?
2 Answers
An element's symbol is merely a shorthand representation of the element.
It would be painstaking to have to write out the name of the element every time you wanted to mention it, so the symbols are a great way to shortly represent the element!
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Sodium -
#"Na"# ("natrium") -
Potassium -
#"K"# ("kalium") -
Iron -
#"Fe"# ("ferrum") -
Copper -
#"Cu"# ("cuprum") -
Silver -
#"Ag"# ("argentum") -
Tin -
#"Sn"# ("stannum") -
Antimony -
#"Sb"# ("stibium") -
Tungsten -
#"W"# ("wolfram") -
Gold -
#"Au"# ("aurum") -
Mercury -
#"Hg"# ("hydrargyrum") -
Lead -
#"Pb"# ("plumbum")
If no numbers are present, it represents a single atom of an element.
Explanation:
A chemical symbol represents a single atom of an element:
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#H# a single hydrogen atom -
#C# a single carbon atom.
If there are numbers on the left side, then the number of atoms increase, but they are separate atoms:
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#3H# 3 atoms of hydrogen -
#10K# ten atoms of potassium
If the number appears on the right side with a subscript, then the whole symbol represents a single molecule with as many atoms as the number says:
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#H_2# a two atom particle of hydrogen -
#O_3# a three atom particle of oxygene (also known as ozone)
If the symbol is in the form of
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#4O_2# four two atom particles of oxgen -
#6N_2# six two atom particles of nitrogen
