Chemical Symbols

Before we go into the depths of chemical symbols, let’s understand how the whole concept of chemical symbols has been useful in understanding the way we look at chemistry. To start with, chemical symbols represent the abbreviated form of any chemical element. Any chemical symbol is made up of one or two alphabets. In this case, the alphabets are also given a designated structure to help people understand better. Due to the extensive use of chemical symbols around the globe, it has become exceedingly easy to understand the varied forms of chemical reactions or compounds of Chemistry. With the discovery, or let’s say the invention of chemical symbols, it has become very easy to understand Chemistry better. 

History of Chemical Symbols 

Can you imagine what the world of Chemistry would be without the presence of chemical symbols? Honestly, it’ll be a world of chaos and confusion. Due to this, it is extremely important to have the presence of chemical symbols in Chemistry. 

The origin of the chemical symbols dates back to the 19th century. The credit goes to a young student named Berzelius, who was keenly interested in Chemistry. As he sat down to study the various chemical reactions of Chemistry, he became utterly frustrated and confused. Wonder why? It was because all the books present in the library that dated back to several centuries made use of different symbols for different elements. For instance, about 14 different chemical symbols represented Mercury in the textbooks. This made it exceedingly difficult to choose one symbol for studying Mercury. The same case followed that of all the metals. Berzelius decided to devise a solution for the same by generalizing the chemical symbols of the elements. 

Early alchemists of Greek, Roman, and Polish origin devised numerous symbols that required artistic skills and experience for drawing them. The most commonly used symbols were: 

• Gold 
• Lead 
• Copper 
• Silver 
• Iron
• Mercury 
• Tin 

Development of Chemical Symbols 

In the later years, we see the development of chemical symbols under John Dalton. Dalton devised a series of chemical symbols to represent the various atoms. Dalton drew various circles that had symbols in between them. To represent the presence of any chemical compound, he combined the symbols of the elements, a practice that is followed even now. 

After that, a Swedish scholar named Berzelius devised a system of abbreviations that represented the various chemical elements. This made the understanding of various chemical compounds and reactions easier and better. The abbreviated and simple form of representing the chemical elements was accepted globally. Due to this, there was no language barrier for anyone living in any part of the world. The chemical symbols never changed. 

Rules of Chemical Symbols 

Various disagreements surround the topic of naming any element when it’s discovered. Due to this, several rules and regulations are made under the Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry or IUPAC. The various rules and regulations of the chemical symbol are as follows:

1. The chemical symbol should consist of one or two alphabets.
2. The first alphabet should be in uppercase. 
3. The second alphabet, if present, should be in lowercase. 
4. Both the alphabets should not be in uppercase or lowercase at once. 

What does the chemical symbol represent? 

The chemical symbols represent a variety of things. Some of these include: 

• It helps in determining the stoichiometric quantity of a chemical element. As we know, every chemical element contains 6.022 × 10-23 moles. This means that any element, say Magnesium, contains 6.022 × 10-23 moles at once. 
• It helps in understanding the chemical compounds better. This, in turn, makes writing the chemical reactions in a comparatively better and easier way. Instead of having to draw the structure of any chemical element, it is better and feasible to write the chemical symbols. 
• It is difficult to remember all the structures and forms of various chemical elements and reactions.
• Chemical symbols also help in determining the atomic mass of any element. For instance, an element, let’s say Oxygen, is represented by O. One atom of Oxygen or O has an atomic mass of 16u. The same follows for all the elements of the periodic table.
• Every element on the periodic table gets a unique identification with the presence of chemical symbols. This helps in distinguishing them from the others so that there’s no confusion or chaos later. 

Without chemical symbols, it would be extremely difficult to study the various complicated chemical reactions that take place daily. All thanks to the greatest scientist, John Dalton, who made it possible to see through chemical elements in such a new light. 

Chemical Symbols List 

There are a set of 118 chemical symbols representing the various chemical elements of the periodic table. Mostly, the chemical symbol is an abbreviation of the names that the chemical elements carry within them. However, sometimes it represents their Latin names or a different name if there is an element that already represents them. 

The chemical symbols list of important elements are as follows:

Ac Actinium  

Ag Silver

Al Aluminium  

Ar Argon  

As Arsenic  

Au Gold

B Boron  

Ba Barium  

Be Beryllium  

Br Bromine  

C Carbon  

Ca Calcium  

Cd Cadmium  

Cl Chlorine  

Co Cobalt  

Cr Chromium  

Cs Cesium  

Cu Copper  

F Fluorine  

Fe Iron 

H Hydrogen  

He Helium 

Hg Mercury 

I Iodine 

K Potassium

Kr Krypton  

Li Lithium  

Mg Magnesium  

Mn Manganese  

N Nitrogen  

Na Sodium  

Ne Neon  

Ni Nickel  

O Oxygen  

P Phosphorus

Pb Lead

Pd Palladium

Pt Platinum

Ra Radium

Rh Rhodium  

Rn Radon  

Ru Ruthenium

S Sulphur

Si Silicon

Sn Tin

Sr Strontium

U Uranium  

Xe Xenon  

Zn Zinc  

Conclusion

Chemical symbols form an integral part of Chemistry. If it weren’t for the presence of these elements, we would still be struggling to find a universal and generalised representation of the chemical elements. It would make it extremely difficult to even comprehend the chemical compounds. We’ve given you a detailed look into the basics as well as complexities concerned with the chemical symbols. The history of chemical symbols is just as important as the chemical symbols list. We’ve curated a list of all the important chemical elements so that you’ve no problem looking at them when you’re conducting a chemical reaction and want to write about the same in your paper.