From The Chemistry Book
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- An element is a pure substance that cannot be broken down by chemical means.
- Elements are defined by the number of protons they possess; that is, all atoms of an element have the same atomic number.
- Elements contain only one type of atom.
Element symbols
- The first 1-2 distinguishing letters in the element's name is used for the symbol
- The first letter is uppercase; the second letter is always lowercase
- Students should memorize all the symbols derived from ancient names:
| English name | symbol | ancient name |
| antimony | Sb | stibium |
| copper | Cu | cuprum |
| gold | Au | aurum |
| iron | Fe | ferrum |
| lead | Pb | plumbum |
| mercury | Hg | hydrargyrum |
| potassium | K | kalium |
| silver | Ag | argentum |
| sodium | Na | natrium |
| tin | Sn | stannum |
| tungsten | W | wolfram |
| Style | Sample | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Element name | Neon-20 | The element name is followed by the mass number (A). |
| Element symbol | 21Ne | Element symbol with the mass number to the left as a superscript |
| Isotopic notation | 21Ne | Element symbol with the mass number to the left as a superscript and the atomic number as a subscript. |
