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Every element has a one or two (or three, if the element doesn't have an official name yet) letter symbol.

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14y ago
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13y ago

Each element has a name and an abbreviation for it

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Q: Is symbol for an element always the first letter of its name?
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In a properly written chemical symbol what is the first figure?

A chemical symbol refers to a chemical element; the first letter of a symbol depends on the chemical element.


What is an element's 'symbol'?

element symbols are abbreviation of elements name like gold's symbol is Au. always first letter is cap. and second is lowered i hope this helped you.


Is pt compound or element?

As 'pt' it is neither an element nor a compound. If you mean 'Pt' ( Platinum) , then it is an elementasl metal , found in the Periodic Table. NB For elemental symbols , a one letter symbol is ALWAYS a CAPITAL letter. For a two letter symbol , the first letter is always a CAPITAL letter and the second letter is small/lower case. This is the recognosed international standard. Hence 'pt' does not exist , but 'Pt' is platinum.


Why was v picked for vanadium's chemical symbol?

V was picked for Vanadium's chemical symbol because it is easy to remember a symbol if it is the first letter of the element's name. Sometimes the symbol is the first letter of the element's name in Latin.


What does an element's symbol consist of?

The symbol for an element is usually the first letter of its modern name but this is often supplemented by another letter from the name to make the symbol unique. In some cases, the symbol is based on the Latin name.


What is the first symbol and atomic number for the element sodium?

The chemical symbol for the element sodium consists of a first capital letter and a second non capital letter: "Na". The atomic number of sodium is 11. (The term "first symbol" used in the question has no particular meaning of which I am aware.)


Do element symbols always contain the first letter of the English name?

No. Some symbols are based on the element's name in some other language (usually, but not always, Latin). For example tungsten's symbol is W, from its German name Wolfram, while iron's symbol is Fe, from its Latin name ferrum.


How are chemical symbol written?

The chemical symbol of a chemical element is derived fom the his name: the first letter or the first two letters.


How do you write the symbol of an element that has two letters?

The first letter is a capital letter; example for sodium: Na.


When the symbol contains two letters the first letters is always and the second letter is always?

If the first letter is in Capitals and the second letter isn't, it is simply the name of one Element e.g. Feis Iron. If both the second and the first letters are in Captials there are two elements. e.g. CO which is Carbon Monoxide.Brad, U.K.


Is there a convention for writing a chemical symbol?

The convention used for the chemical symbol of an element is so that you can determine the atomic mass.


Why is uranium's element symbol U?

Because U is the first letter of the name uranium.