1) Why do elements have different properties?
2) Why isn't the symbol for silver S and the symbol for potassium P?
3) How did some of the elements get their names?
4) Why do some elements have 2 letters for their chemical symbol and others have only one?
Answers
Answer:
1)The difference in the number of protons and neutrons in atoms account for many of the different properties of elements. ... The number and arrangement of electrons in an atom define the chemical characteristics of elements. One way to think of electrons is that they are the part of the atom that "shows".
2)Potassium has the symbol K, from the Latin word kalium. Silver is Ag, from Latin's argentum. The practice of giving such symbols to elements was begun by Berzelius in the 1800's, when Latin was the language of science. Other elements also have symbols that do not seem to agree with their modern names (Na for sodium, Au for gold).
3)New elements can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist. The names have to be unique and maintain "historical and chemical consistency". ... No-one has yet named an element after themselves but many elements are named in tribute to important scientists.
4) Most chemical elements are represented symbolically by two letters, generally the first two in their name. In some cases, the first letter together with some other letter from their name was used, particularly when their first two letters had already been allocated to another element.