Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
What is the significance of the symbol of an element ? Explain with the help of an example.
Advertisements
Solution
The symbol of an element is a short form used to represent individual elements or the atoms of the elements. Using symbols is advantageous, as using full names of the elements can be tedious. Symbols are commonly used to designate elements in a chemical reaction. Following are the significant points of using a symbol to designate an element:
• Symbol represents the name of the element. For example, the symbol O refers to the element oxygen.
Symbol represents one atom of the element. For example, the symbol O denotes one atom of the element oxygen.
• Using the symbol of an element refers to one mole of atoms of that element; therefore, the symbol of an element represents 6.022 × 1023 atoms. For example, the symbol O represents one mole of oxygen i.e. 6.022 × 1023 atoms.
• Symbols of different elements represent a definite mass of those elements which is equal to gram atomic mass. For example, the symbol O refers to 1 gram atomic mass of oxygen.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
What do you understand by :
Noble gases
Write the full form of IUPAC. Name the elements represented by the following symbols:
Au, Pb, Sn, Hg
Fill in the blank:
Symbolic expression for a molecule is called _____.
Give a reason why elements are tabulated in a table called the ‘Periodic table’.
State the type of element for the following:
Fluorine
Give the symbol of the following element:
Sulphite
Give the symbol of the following element:
Sulphate
Give the symbol of the following element:
Carbonate
State whether the following ion or radical given below of a non-metallic element exhibits valency: 1–, 2– or 3–. (write the ion or radical with the correct valency).
Zincate
Describe the different ways in which we can write the symbols of elements. Give appropriate examples.
