Matter can be defined as anything that takes up space and has mass. Matter exists in three prevalent states that are solid, liquid and gas. There are other states of matter as well, like plasma. The differences in all these states are due to the difference in energy.
An atom is like a tiny building block that makes up everything around us. It’s the smallest unit of matter that we can’t break down any further.
Explanation: It’s made up of a nucleus, which is like the central part, with protons and neutrons inside it. Then there are electrons that orbit around the nucleus like planets around the sun. The number of protons in the nucleus determines the elements of the atom.
An atom with one proton is hydrogen, while an atom with six protons is carbon.
Molecules are tiny particles that makeup everything around us. They are made up of atoms that are joined together by chemical bonds. Molecules can be as simple as two atoms or as complex as thousands of atoms.
Water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
Substance refers to a specific type of matter with distinct characteristics and properties. It can either be pure or mixed.
Water is a pure substance because it contains only one type of molecule –H2O. In contrast, the air is a mixed substance because it contains various gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide and many other.
An element is a substance made of only one type of atom, which cannot be broken down into simpler substances through chemical reactions.
Each element has a specific number of protons in its nucleus, which determines its atomic number and chemical properties. Elements are listed on the periodic table, which organises them by their atomic properties. There are currently 118 known elements, including familiar ones such as carbon, oxygen, and iron, as well as more recently discovered synthetic elements. These elements might be solid, liquid or gas in nature.
A symbol represents each element in chemistry. The symbol is taken from the names of these elements in different languages like English, Latin, Greek and German.
A few rules are kept in mind when assigning symbols to elements:
| S.No | Names of Elements in English | Derived from Latin and Greek | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hydrogen | Greek (Hydro Genes) | H |
| 2 | Helium | Greek (Helios) | He |
| 3 | Lithium | Greek (Lithos) | Li |
| 4 | Beryllium | Greek (Beryllos) | Be |
| 5 | Boron | Latin (Buraq) | B |
| 6 | Carbon | Latin (Carbone) | C |
| 7 | Nitrogen | Greek (Nitro Genes) | N |
| 8 | Oxygen | Greek (Oxy Genes) | O |
| 9 | Fluorine | Latin (Fluere) | F |
| 10 | Neon | Greek (Neos) | Ne |
| 11 | Sodium | Latin (Natrium) | Na |
| 12 | Magnesium | Greek (Magnesium) | Mg |
| 13 | Aluminium | Latin (Alumen) | Al |
| 14 | Silicon | Latin (Silen) | Si |
| 15 | Phosphorous | Greek (Phoros) | P |
| 16 | Sulphur | Latin (Sulphur) | S |
| 17 | Chlorine | Greek (Chloros) | Cl |
| 18 | Argon | Greek (Argon) | Ar |
| 19 | Potassium | Latin (Kalium) | K |
| 20 | Calcium | Latin (Calx) | Ca |
| 21 | Scandium | Latin (Scandia) | Sc |
| 22 | Titanium | Greek (Titan) | Ti |
| 23 | Vanadium | Norwegian (Vanadis) | V |
| 24 | Chromium | Greek (Chroma) | Cr |
| 25 | Manganese | Latin (Magnes) | Mn |
| 26 | Iron | Latin (Ferrum) | Fe |
| 27 | Cobalt | German (Kobold) | Co |
| 28 | Nickel | German (Kupfernickel) | Ni |
| 29 | Copper | Latin (Cuprum) | Cu |
| 30 | Zinc | German (Zinc) | Zn |
| S.No | Elements | Symbol | Atomic Number | Valency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hydrogen | H | 1 | +1, -1 |
| 2 | Helium | He | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Lithium | Li | 3 | +1 |
| 4 | Beryllium | Be | 4 | +2 |
| 5 | Boron | B | 5 | +3 |
| 6 | Carbon | C | 6 | +4, -4 |
| 7 | Nitrogen | N | 7 | -3 |
| 8 | Oxygen | O | 8 | -2 |
| 9 | Fluorine | F | 9 | -1 |
| 10 | Neon | Ne | 10 | 0 |
| 11 | Sodium | Na | 11 | +1 |
| 12 | Magnesium | Mg | 12 | +2 |
| 13 | Aluminium | Al | 13 | +3 |
| 14 | Silicon | Si | 14 | +4 |
| 15 | Phosphorous | P | 15 | ±3 |
| 16 | Sulphur | S | 16 | -2 |
| 17 | Chlorine | Cl | 17 | -1 |
| 18 | Argon | Ar | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | Potassium | K | 19 | +1 |
| 20 | Calcium | Ca | 20 | +2 |
| 21 | Scandium | Sc | 21 | +3 |
| 22 | Titanium | Ti | 22 | +2, +3 |
| 23 | Vanadium | V | 23 | +2, +3, +4 |
| 24 | Chromium | Cr | 24 | +3 |
| 25 | Manganese | Mn | 25 | +2, +3, +6 |
| 26 | Iron | Fe | 26 | +2, +3 |
| 27 | Cobalt | Co | 27 | +2, +3, +4 |
| 28 | Nickel | Ni | 28 | +1, +2 |
| 24 | Chromium | Cr | 24 | +3 |
| 25 | Manganese | Mn | 25 | +2, +3, +6 |
| 26 | Iron | Fe | 26 | +2, +3 |
| 27 | Cobalt | Co | 27 | +2, +3, +4 |
| 28 | Nickel | Ni | 28 | +1, +2 |
| 24 | Chromium | Cr | 24 | +3 |
| 25 | Manganese | Mn | 25 | +2, +3, +6 |
| 26 | Iron | Fe | 26 | +2, +3 |
| 27 | Cobalt | Co | 27 | +2, +3, +4 |
| 28 | Nickel | Ni | 28 | +1, +2 |
| 29 | Copper | Cu | 29 | +1, +2, +3 |
| 30 | Zinc | Zn | 30 | +2 |
What determines the atomic number and chemical properties of an element?