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Auralith Learning

Year 8 · Science · Elements, compounds and the periodic table · Lesson 1

Atoms, elements and symbols

Atoms, elements and molecules, chemical symbols including the Latin ones, and the properties of metals and non-metals.

Whiteboard video lesson: Atoms, elements and symbols

23-minute video lesson

Teaching, worked examples and 20 practice questions solved step by step.

Watch free for a month

What your child will learn

  • Describe atoms, elements and molecules
  • Use chemical symbols correctly
  • Recall symbols from Latin names
  • Identify elements in particle diagrams
  • Compare metals and non-metals

The method

  1. An element is made of only one type of atom.
  2. A molecule is two or more atoms joined together.
  3. Symbols: first letter capital, second letter small; some come from Latin (Na, K, Fe, Cu, Ag, Au, Pb).
  4. Metals are shiny, conduct and are malleable; non-metals are dull, insulate and are brittle.

Key words: atom, element, molecule, symbol, metal, non-metal, conductor, malleable, brittle.

Worked examples

The first three practice questions from the lesson, with every step.

Question 1

What is the chemical symbol for oxygen?

  1. Step 1: Oxygen = O
  2. Step 2: One capital letter

Answer: O

Question 2

What is the chemical symbol for calcium?

  1. Step 1: Calcium = Ca
  2. Step 2: Capital letter first, small letter second

Answer: Ca

Question 3

What is the chemical symbol for sodium?

  1. Step 1: Sodium = Na
  2. Step 2: Capital letter first, small letter second

Answer: Na