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GCSE Chemistry · key term
A one- or two-letter abbreviation for an element, beginning with a capital letter.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.1.1.1 · Paper 1
A one- or two-letter abbreviation used to represent an element and its atoms.
Revise: Atoms, Elements and the Periodic TableChemists organise them in the periodic table, where each element has its own position, name and chemical symbol.
Specification 0.1 · Paper 1, Paper 2
A one- or two-letter abbreviation for an element. Its first letter is capital and any second letter is lower-case.
Revise: Formulae of Elements and IonsEvery element has a chemical symbol. Some symbols contain one letter, such as H for hydrogen and O for oxygen. Others contain two: Na is sodium, Cl is chlorine and Mg is magnesium.
Specification C3.1a, C3.1b, C3.1c · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
One or two letters that represent a chemical element; the first letter is a capital.
A one- or two-letter representation of an element, beginning with a capital letter.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
One or two letters used to represent a chemical element; the first letter is always a capital and the second, if present, is lower-case.
Revise: Chemical formulaeEvery element has a chemical symbol. It usually contains one or two letters: the first is a capital and a second letter is lower-case. For example, hydrogen is H, oxygen is O and chlorine is Cl.
A one- or two-letter representation of an element, beginning with a capital letter, such as C for carbon or Mg for magnesium.
A one- or two-letter abbreviation for an element, representing one atom of that element when used on its own.
Chemical symbols are case-sensitive: write Co for cobalt, not CO or co. The second letter, when present, is always lower-case.
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