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Because there are only 26 letters, 22 of which are usable (A M R & X are reserved for various purposes). With around 115 elements at last count it is obvious that 2-letter symbols are needed for most of them.

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12y ago

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What elements have their first two letters as a symbol?

The symbols for elements have either one or two letters. If there are two letters, the first one is capitalized and the second one is not.


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The letters that identify elements , are called Symbols.


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Is each element abbreviated by one or two letter?

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