what is meant by symbol of an element?explain with examples

Symbol of an element is a one or two letter notation that is used for denoting the chemical element. Each element has its own particular symbol. For example, carbon is denoted by the symbol C, sodium by Na, Potassium by K, chlorine by Cl. The first letter of a symbol is always written as a capital letter (uppercase) and the second letter as a small letter (lowercase).

Many of the symbols are the first one or two letters of the element’s name in English. Other symbols have been taken from the names of elements in Latin, German or Greek. For example, the symbol of iron is Fe from its Latin name ferrum, sodium is Na from natrium, potassium is K from kalium.