Chemical symbols
Each A substance made of one type of atom only. is represented by its own chemical symbol. A chemical symbol:
- consists of one or two letters
- always starts with a capital letter, with any other letter in lower case
For example, the element mercury is shown as Hg. Do not show it as HG, hg or hG.
Learn more on atoms, elements and compounds in this podcast.
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The periodic table shows the names and symbols of the elements. Elements are arranged into groups that share similar characteristics. Groups are numbered from 1 to 7, then 0. Metals are found on the left and non-metals are found on the right.
Each box in the periodic table contains the chemical symbol for an element
More guides on this topic
- Hazards and risks - Edexcel
- Atomic structure - Edexcel
- The periodic table - Edexcel
- Ionic compounds - Edexcel
- Simple molecular substances - Edexcel
- Giant covalent substances - Edexcel
- Metals and non-metals - Edexcel
- Chemistry calculations - Edexcel
- Mole calculations (higher) - Edexcel
- Sample exam questions - key concepts in chemistry - Edexcel