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Element Symbols

Abbreviations for the Chemical Elements

By , About.com Guide

Old alchemical symbol for gold. Modern element symbols are less ambiguous.

Old alchemical symbol for gold. Modern element symbols are less ambiguous.

Todd Helmenstine
It's easier to navigate the periodic table and write chemical equations and formulae once you know the symbols for the elements. However, sometimes it's easy to confuse symbols of elements with similar names. Other elements have symbols that don't seem to relate to their names at all! For these elements, the symbol usually refers to an older element name that isn't used any more. Here's an alphabetical list of element symbols with the corresponding element name. Keep in mind that the names for the elements (and their symbols) may be different in languages other than English.

Ac Actinium

Ag Silver

Al Aluminum

Am Americium

Ar Argon

As Arsenic

At Astatine

Au Gold

B Boron

Ba Barium

Be Beryllium

Bh Bohrium

Bi Bismuth

Bk Berkelium

Br Bromine

C Carbon

Ca Calcium

Cd Cadmium

Ce Cerium

Cf Californium

Cl Chlorine

Cm Curium

Co Cobalt

Cp Copernicium

Cr Chromium

Cs Cesium

Cu Copper

Db Dubnium

Ds Darmstadtium

Dy Dysprosium

Er Erbium

Es Einsteinium

Eu Europium

F Fluorine

Fe Iron

Fm Fermium

Fr Francium

Ga Gallium

Gd Gadolinium

Ge Germanium

H Hydrogen

He Helium

Hf Hafnium

Hg Mercury

Ho Holmium

Hs Hassium

I Iodine

In Indium

Ir Iridium

K Potassium

Kr Krypton

La Lanthanum

Li Lithium

Lr Lawrencium

Lu Lutetium

Md Mendelevium

Mg Magnesium

Mn Manganese

Mo Molybdenum

Mt Meitnerium

N Nitrogen

Na Sodium

Ne Neon

Nb Niobium

Nd Neodymium

Ni Nickel

No Nobelium

Np Neptunium

O Oxygen

Os Osmium

P Phosphorus

Pd Palladium

Po Polonium

Pb Lead

Pt Platinum

Pr Praseodymium

Pm Promethium

Pu Plutonium

Pa Protactinium

Ra Radium

Rb Rubidium

Re Rhenium

Rf Rutherfordium

Rg Roentgenium

Rh Rhodium

Rn Radon

Ru Ruthenium

S Sulfur

Sb Antimony

Sc Scandium

Se Selenium

Sg Seaborgium

Si Silicon

Sm Samarium

Sn Tin

Sr Strontium

Ta Tantalum

Tb Terbium

Tc Technetium

Te Tellurium

Th Thorium

Ti Titanium

Tl Thallium

Tm Thulium

U Uranium

Uub Ununbium

Uuh Ununhexium

Uun Ununnilium

Uuo Ununoctium

Uup Ununpentium

Uuq Ununquadium

Uus Ununseptium

Uut Ununtrium

Uuu Ununumium

V Vanadium

W Tungsten

Xe Xenon

Y Yttrium

Yb Ytterbium

Zn Zinc

Zr Zirconium

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