Lesson 1.3 - Elements

In this lesson:

Elements

An element is a type of atom.

It is determined by the number of protons the atom has.

Elements are represented by different symbols.

Element symbols

Each elements has a unique symbol.

These symbols identify an element in a chemical reaction.

Some elements have 1-letter symbols (e.g. O for oxygen). Some have 2-letter symbols (e.g. He for helium).

Common element symbols

As of this document, there are 118 elements.

Below are some common ones:

Symbol
Element Name

O

Oxygen

N

Nitrogen

Si

Silicon

Na

Sodium

Mg

Magnesium

Og

Oganesson

H

Hydrogen

He

Helium

Li

Lithium

Periodic table

The elements can all be found on the periodic table.

It shows the electron configuration, the relative atomic mass, the state of matter, the number of protons, etc.

It's very useful :)

Common elements

The first 20 elements are listed below:

  • Hydrogen (H)

  • Helium (He)

  • Lithium (Li)

  • Beryllium (Be)

  • Boron (B)

  • Carbon (C)

  • Nitrogen (N)

  • Oxygen (O)

  • Fluorine (F)

  • Neon (Ne)

  • Sodium (Na)

  • Magnesium (Mg)

  • Aluminium (Al)

  • Silicon (Si)

  • Phosphorus (P)

  • Sulphur (S)

  • Chlorine (Cl)

  • Argon (Ar)

  • Potassium (K)

  • Calcium (Ca)

Group 1

Group 1 elements include:

Period
Symbol
Element
Atomic number
Atomic mass

2

Li

Lithium

3

7

3

Na

Sodium

11

23

4

K

Potassium

19

39

5

Rb

Rubidium

27

85.5

6

Cs

Caesium

55

133

7

Fr

Francium

87

223

These elements are called the alkali metals.

Group 7

Period
Symbol
Element
Atomic number
Atomic mass

2

F

Fluorine

9

19

3

Cl

Chlorine

17

35.5

4

Br

Bromine

35

80

5

I

Iodine

53

127

6

At

Astatine

85

210

7

Ts

Tennessine

117

294

These are the halogens, and are non-metals.

Contents

Previous lesson (Atoms) Back to contents Next lesson (Compounds)

Last updated