Symbol (chemistry) the material was known in ancient times, while for others, the name is a more recent invention. For example, "He" is the symbol for helium (New Latin name, not known in ancient Roman times), "Pb" for lead ("plumbum" in Latin), and "Hg" for mercury ("hydrargyrum" in Greek). Some symbols come from other sources, like "W" for tungsten ("Wolfram" in German, not known in Roman times). Temporary symbols assigned to newly or not-yet synthesized elements use 3-letter symbols based on their atomic numbers. For example, "Uno" was the temporary symbol for hassium (element 108) which had the temporary name of "unniloctium".
Melting-point apparatus Melting-point apparatus A melting-point apparatus is a scientific instrument used to determine the melting point of a substance. Some types of melting-point apparatuses include the Thiele tube, Fisher-Johns apparatus, Gallenkamp (Electronic) melting-point apparatus and automatic melting-point apparatus. While the outward designs of apparatuses can vary greatly, most apparatuses use a sample loaded into a sealed capillary ("melting-point capillary"), which is then placed in the apparatus. The sample is then heated, either by a heating block or an oil bath, and as the temperature increases, the sample is observed to determine when the phase change from solid to liquid occurs. The