the Rutherford model of the atom, electrons whizzing around a nucleusAbbreviations for the elements in Chemistrythe element ytterbium

The Rutherford model of the atom; the element ytterbium.1

David Bar-Tzur

Created 21 June 2001

Print this table out and use it during Chemistry class to look up abbreviations you can use for the elements being discussed.

actinium = Ac aluminum = Al amercium = Am antimony = Sb argon = Ar
arsenic = As astatine = At barium = Ba berkelium = Bk beryllium = Be
bismuth = Bi bohrium = Bh boron = B bromine = Br cadmium = Cd
calcium = Ca californium = Cf carbon = C cerium = Ce cesium = Cs
chlorine = Cl chromium = Cr cobalt = Co copper = Cu curium = Cm
dubnium = Db dysprosium = Dy einsteinum = Es erbium = Er europium = Eu
fermium = Fm fluorine = F francium = Fr gadolinium = Gd gallium = Ga
germanium = Ge gold = Au hafnium = Hf hahnium = Hn helium = He
holmium = Ho hydrogen = H indium = In iodine = I iridium = Ir
iron = Fe juliotium = Jl krypton = Kr lanthanum = La lawrencium = Lr
lead = Pb lithium = Li lutetium = Lu magnesium = Mg manganese = Mn
meltnerium = Mt mendelevium = Md mercury = Hg molybdenum = Mo neodymium = Nd
neon = Ne neptunium = Np nickel = Ni niobium = Nb nitrogen = N
nobelium = No osmium = Os oxygen = O palladium = Pd phosphorus = P
platinum = Pt plutonium = Pu polonium = Po potassium = K prasodymium = Pr
promethium = Pm protactinium = Pa radium = Ra radon = Rn rhodium = Rh
rubidium = Rb ruthenium = Ru rutherfordium = Rf rhenium = Re samarium = Sm
scandium = Sc selenium = Se silicon = Si silver = Ag sodium = Na
strontium = Sr sulphur = S technetium = Tc tantalum = Ta tellurium = Te
terbium = Tb thallium = Tl thorium = Th thulium = Tm tin = Sn
titanium = Ti tungsten = W uranium = U vanadium = V xenon = Xe
ytterbium = Yb yttrium = Y zinc = Zn zirconium = Zr

The names of the heavy elements whose atomic numbers are > 100 are formed by using affixes for each digit as follows: 0 = nil (n), 1 = un (u), 2 = bi (b), 3 = tri (t), 4 = quad (q), 5 = pent (p), 6 = hex (h), 7 = sept (s), 8 = oct (o), 9 = enn or en if it's the last digit (e) + "ium" is added at the end. For example, element 104 is unnilquadium (Unq), element 105 is Unnilpentium (Unp), and so on. The old names for 100-103 are still acceptible. And for fun, listen to Tom Lehrer singing the "Song of the elements" at Elements.swf.


Image credits

1. On the left (Rutherford model of the atom): from ClipArtConnection.com and on the right (sample of ytterbium): from http://nobel.scas.bcit.bc.ca/resource/ptable/yb.htm (Ytterbium), which is no longer extant.

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