element symbols

Element symbols were developped because it was time consumming to write out the chemical names over and over. There is a symbol for all the known elements.

Different kinds of elements

A way of classifying elements is by sortung them into metals, non metals and metalloids. Metals can have physical properties called malleability and ductility. All of them are solids with the exception of mercury at room temperature. Non metals oxygen is an example of non metals. Metalloids have properties from metals and non metals. There are not very many metaloids metals are the most common.

Julie Bailley Max