capitalization: chemical and medical terms

Follow the guidelines below in deciding whether to capitalize a chemical or medical term.

Chemical terms

The capitalization of chemical symbols should follow standard practice:

• C
• Kr
• H₂O
• H₂O₂
• NaHCO₃
• NiH battery

However, when written in full in text, the names of chemical elements and compounds are not capitalized.

• carbon
• krypton
• water
• hydrogen peroxide
• sodium bicarbonate
• nickel-hydrogen battery

Medical terms

Do not capitalize the names of conditions, syndromes and the like, but capitalize a personal name that forms part of such a term:

• diabetes insipidus
• Down syndrome
• Huntington’s chorea

Capitalize the names of infectious organisms but not the names of conditions based upon such names:

• People exposed to Salmonella are likely to suffer from salmonellosis.

Do not capitalize the generic names of drugs:

• phenobarbital
• sulfasalazine