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Why must some chemical elements have two letters rather than one?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
The reason why some element symbols have two letters instead of one is that some elements start with the same letter. It would be very difficult to distinguish elements if two both had the same symbol. For example, Carbon and Calcium both start with the letter "C", but Calcium's symbol is "Ca". Also, some, like Iron's "Fe", were named a long time ago, and chemists had different names for them.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoIn most cases, this is because there was already an element named with the first letter of their designation. For example, Chlorine is 'Cl' because Carbon was already 'C'.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoMany of the elements start with the same first letter. So more than one is needed.
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What is true about the First letter of a chemical symbol?
Not always... There are chemical elements beginning with the same letter - for example Copper and Cobalt. However - every chemical symbol does consist of two letters.
What is required for two atoms to share electrons equally in chemical bonds?
the two atoms must be of the same element
Why are some symbols have more than one letter in them?
There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet but more than 100 distinct elements. Therefore, at least 3/4 of the elements must have atomic symbols with more than one letter.
Explain what is meant by a chemical equation being balanced?
Placing coefficients in front of compounds or elements or poly-atomic ions to balance the number of atoms of different elements between the reactants side and the products side. Ex. CH4 + 2 O2 CO2 + 2 H2O
What was the purpose of the periodic table'?
The Periodic Table of the elements organizes chemical knowledge about the various elements in a way that enables us to understand why different elements have the chemical properties that they have.
What must br true for organisms to use the elements they require?
They must be in a chemical form that cells can take up.
What is true about the First letter of a chemical symbol?
Not always... There are chemical elements beginning with the same letter - for example Copper and Cobalt. However - every chemical symbol does consist of two letters.
What is the chemical formula for metal?
There is no chemical formula for a metal. Metals are elements, whose chemical symbols are on the periodic table of the elements.
Shows the ratio of elements in a compound?
The chemical formula of the compound shows the ratio of the atoms of elements in a compound. This must not be confused with the ratio of their masses.
What are chemicals formulas constructed from?
Chemical formulas are constructed from elements contained in a given substance. First the composition must be determined by chemical analysis.
Why is breaking down a compound into its elements consid A chemical change?
its simple, seeing as how you are breaking a compound down which consists of 2 pure substances. Means that there is a chemical change via taking one pure substance out which will inturn change it chemically and physically
What is required for two atoms to share electrons equally in chemical bonds?
the two atoms must be of the same element
What must be true about other letters in a chemical symbol?
It is having some other kind of sound vowel at the end of some words.
What is a ten letter word for substance on the left side of a chemical equation?
It should be reactants but it is 9 letters word so it must be Substrates.
Why water is expelled during glycolsis?
If you write this as a balanced chemical equation, water will form as a result. You must account, in other words, for all the elements.
Why don't some chemical symbols not start with just their capital letter?
One reason that elements don't simply use the capital letter is that there are 118 known elements, but our alphabet only has 26 letters. Additionally, some elements have the same beginning letter, so we must use something else for the symbol. Carbon (C), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), and calcium (Ca) can't all be represented by the same symbol. Finally, some chemical symbols are based on the names of elements in other languages, often Latin or Greek. For example lead's symbol, Pb comes from its Latin name, plumbum.
What event must take place to separate a compound into separate elements?
electrolysis electrolysis electrolysis electrolysis electrolysis
