Which statement accurately describes the chemical symbol of an element?

Question

The chemical symbol is always a single letter.
The chemical symbol always starts with the same letter as the name of the element.
The chemical symbol always begins with a capital letter.
The chemical symbol can be shared by more than one element

Answer 1

The statement that accurately describes the chemical symbol of an element is:

The chemical symbol always begins with a capital letter.

To clarify the other statements:

• The chemical symbol is not always a single letter; it can be one or two letters (e.g., O for oxygen, Na for sodium).
• The chemical symbol does not always start with the same letter as the name of the element (e.g., Fe for iron).
• The chemical symbol cannot be shared by more than one element; each element has a unique symbol.