Question

Which symbol is used for Thorium?
A.W
B.Th
C.Tm
D.Y
E.Ti

Answer 1

Hint: Thorium has atomic number 90 and it is a weakly radioactive metallic chemical element. To solve this question, we must first understand the basis on which the chemical symbol is assigned to different elements. Then, we must discuss and try to find the names of the symbols given in the options.

Complete Step-by-Step Answer:
Before we move forward with the solution of the given question, let us first understand some important basic concepts.
We first need to understand the necessity for a chemical symbol. The names of chemicals and compounds are often quite long to be written and represented in complex and long chemical reactions. Also, there is always a chance of writing the wrong spelling and then the interpretation of the wrong spelling could be assumed to be some completely different chemical. To relax this confusion and to bring a uniformity to the way we address chemicals, chemical symbols were introduced.
Chemical symbols can be defined as a short notation for a given chemical which is often derived from the scientific name of the chemical element. Now, the origin of the names of these elements are often in English, but there exist certain elements which Latin origin names. Hence, their symbols also represent their Latin names. Let us now discuss the options given to us:
1.W: W is the short notation for the chemical “Wolfram”, which is the Latin name for Tungsten.
2.Th: Th is the short notation for the chemical element “Thorium”, which is derived from the first two letters of the name of the element
3.Tm: Tm is the short notation for the chemical element “Thulium”, which is derived from the first and last letters of the name of the element
4.Y: Y is the short notation for the chemical element “Yttrium”, which is derived from the first letter of the name of the element
5.Ti: Ti is the short notation for the chemical element “Titanium”, which is derived from the first two letters of the name of the element

Hence, Option B is the correct option

Note: Some other elements whose chemical notations are derived from their Latin names are: Mercury (Hg – Hydrargyrum (Greek)), Lead (Pb - plumbum), Sodium (Na - Natrium), Silver (Ag – Argentum), Copper (Cu – Cuprum), etc.