DALTON'S SYMBOLS FOR ELEMENTS Dalton's symbols which were used to describe the elements at his time. This was the very first method adopted in the classification of elements.

In 1803, English chemist‐physicist John Dalton started using symbols to represent the atoms of different elements. Dalton, considered the father of modern atomic theory, made a logbook entry that day titled, "Observations on the Ultimate Particles of Bodies and their Combinations." It was for the first time using symbols to represent the elements of modern chemistry.

Dalton's symbols were not the ones we use today, but circles containing distinct symbols (a dot for hydrogen, a cross for sulfur), or circles containing letters (C for copper, L for lead). He used them singly to represent elements and in combination to show compounds.

Dalton's symbol for an element represented the 'element' as well as 'one atom' of that element. Some of the symbols of element given by Dalton are shown in the adjacent figure.

This may be of academic interest only in the present context.