Presently there are 110 known elements, of which 88 occur naturally. The remainder are man made. 4.2 Symbols for the Elements.
Elements have a name and a symbol, both of which are usually derived from their old Latin name.
For instance, the symbol for mercury is Hg , derived from the Latin name h ydrar g yrum . Similarly, the symbol for potassium is K , derived from the old Latin name k alium. Dalton's Atomic Theory. In 1808 Dalton published A New System of Chemical Philosophy , in which he presented his theory of atoms. In his theory he postulated that the fundamental differences among atoms are their masses.