top right
As described in Section 1.7 "Introduction to the Periodic Table", the metals are on the bottom left in the periodic table, and the nonmetals are at the top right. The semimetals lie along a diagonal line separating the metals and nonmetals. In most cases, the symbols for the elements are derived directly from each elements name, such as C for carbon, U for uranium, Ca for calcium, and Po for polonium. Elements have also been named for their properties [such as radium Ra for its radioactivity], for the native country of the scientist s who discovered them [polonium Po for Poland], for eminent scientists [curium Cm for the Curies], for gods and goddesses [selenium Se for the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene], and for other poetic or historical reasons. Some of the symbols used for elements that have been known since antiquity are derived from historical names that are no longer in use; only the symbols remain to remind us of their origin. Examples are Fe for iron, from the Latin ferrum; Na for sodium, from the Latin natrium; and W for tungsten, from the German wolfram. Examples are in Table 1.4 "Element Symbols Based on Names No Longer in Use". As you work through this text, you will encounter the names and symbols of the elements repeatedly, and much as you become familiar with characters in a play or a film, their names and symbols will become familiar.