We invent a "wild card element" R to make the book-keeping more clear. R stands for "generic heavy element" in bracket notation, and scales with the solar abundance pattern. One should find, for example, that [Fe/H] = [Fe/R]+[R/H]. Indeed, for any element Q, [Q/H] = [Q/R]+[R/H]. Additionally, [Q/Fe] = [Q/R] - [Fe/R]. As always, square-bracket notation means base-ten logarithmic abundance relative to the solar value.
| Input | Output using Anders & Grevesse 1989 | Output using Grevesse & Sauval 1998 | Output using Asplund 2004 |
| X: hydrogen mass fraction | X: hydrogen mass fraction | X: hydrogen mass fraction | |
| Z/X | Z/X | Z/X | |
| Y: helium mass fraction | |||
| Z: heavy-element mass fraction | |||
| [R/H] | [R/H] | [R/H] | |
| [Li/R] | [Li/H] | [Li/H] | [Li/H] |
| [Be/R] | [Be/H] | [Be/H] | [Be/H] |
| [B/R] | [B/H] | [B/H] | [B/H] |
| [C/R] | [C/H] | [C/H] | [C/H] |
| [N/R] | [N/H] | [N/H] | [N/H] |
| [O/R] | [O/H] | [O/H] | [O/H] |
| [F/R] | [F/H] | [F/H] | [F/H] |
| [Ne/R] | [Ne/H] | [Ne/H] | [Ne/H] |
| [Na/R] | [Na/H] | [Na/H] | [Na/H] |
| [Mg/R] | [Mg/H] | [Mg/H] | [Mg/H] |
| [Al/R] | [Al/H] | [Al/H] | [Al/H] |
| [Si/R] | [Si/H] | [Si/H] | [Si/H] |
| [P/R] | [P/H] | [P/H] | [P/H] |
| [S/R] | [S/H] | [S/H] | [S/H] |
| [Cl/R] | [Cl/H] | [Cl/H] | [Cl/H] |
| [Ar/R] | [Ar/H] | [Ar/H] | [Ar/H] |
| [K/R] | [K/H] | [K/H] | [K/H] |
| [Ca/R] | [Ca/H] | [Ca/H] | [Ca/H] |
| [Sc/R] | [Sc/H] | [Sc/H] | [Sc/H] |
| [Ti/R] | [Ti/H] | [Ti/H] | [Ti/H] |
| [V/R] | [V/H] | [V/H] | [V/H] |
| [Cr/R] | [Cr/H] | [Cr/H] | [Cr/H] |
| [Mn/R] | [Mn/H] | [Mn/H] | [Mn/H] |
| [Fe/R] | [Fe/H] | [Fe/H] | [Fe/H] |
| [Co/R] | [Co/H] | [Co/H] | [Co/H] |
| [Ni/R] | [Ni/H] | [Ni/H] | [Ni/H] |
| [Cu/R] | [Cu/H] | [Cu/H] | [Cu/H] |
| [Zn/R] | [Zn/H] | [Zn/H] | [Zn/H] |
| [Ga/R] | [Ga/H] | [Ga/H] | [Ga/H] |
| [Ge/R] | [Ge/H] | [Ge/H] | [Ge/H] |
| [As/R] | [As/H] | [As/H] | [As/H] |
| [Se/R] | [Se/H] | [Se/H] | [Se/H] |
| [Br/R] | [Br/H] | [Br/H] | [Br/H] |
| [Kr/R] | [Kr/H] | [Kr/H] | [Kr/H] |
| [Rb/R] | [Rb/H] | [Rb/H] | [Rb/H] |
| [Sr/R] | [Sr/H] | [Sr/H] | [Sr/H] |
| [Y/R] | [Y/H] | [Y/H] | [Y/H] |
| [Zr/R] | [Zr/H] | [Zr/H] | [Zr/H] |
| [Nb/R] | [Nb/H] | [Nb/H] | [Nb/H] |
| [Mo/R] | [Mo/H] | [Mo/H] | [Mo/H] |
| [Ru/R] | [Ru/H] | [Ru/H] | [Ru/H] |
| [Rh/R] | [Rh/H] | [Rh/H] | [Rh/H] |
| [Pd/R] | [Pd/H] | [Pd/H] | [Pd/H] |
| [Ag/R] | [Ag/H] | [Ag/H] | [Ag/H] |
| [Cd/R] | [Cd/H] | [Cd/H] | [Cd/H] |
| [In/R] | [In/H] | [In/H] | [In/H] |
| [Sn/R] | [Sn/H] | [Sn/H] | [Sn/H] |
| [Sb/R] | [Sb/H] | [Sb/H] | [Sb/H] |
| [Te/R] | [Te/H] | [Te/H] | [Te/H] |
| [I/R] | [I/H] | [I/H] | [I/H] |
| [Xe/R] | [Xe/H] | [Xe/H] | [Xe/H] |
| [Cs/R] | [Cs/H] | [Cs/H] | [Cs/H] |
| [Ba/R] | [Ba/H] | [Ba/H] | [Ba/H] |
| [La/R] | [La/H] | [La/H] | [La/H] |
| [Ce/R] | [Ce/H] | [Ce/H] | [Ce/H] |
| [Pr/R] | [Pr/H] | [Pr/H] | [Pr/H] |
| [Nd/R] | [Nd/H] | [Nd/H] | [Nd/H] |
| [Sm/R] | [Sm/H] | [Sm/H] | [Sm/H] |
| [Eu/R] | [Eu/H] | [Eu/H] | [Eu/H] |
| [Gd/R] | [Gd/H] | [Gd/H] | [Gd/H] |
| [Tb/R] | [Tb/H] | [Tb/H] | [Tb/H] |
| [Dy/R] | [Dy/H] | [Dy/H] | [Dy/H] |
| [Ho/R] | [Ho/H] | [Ho/H] | [Ho/H] |
| [Er/R] | [Er/H] | [Er/H] | [Er/H] |
| [Tm/R] | [Tm/H] | [Tm/H] | [Tm/H] |
| [Yb/R] | [Yb/H] | [Yb/H] | [Yb/H] |
| [Lu/R] | [Lu/H] | [Lu/H] | [Lu/H] |
| [Hf/R] | [Hf/H] | [Hf/H] | [Hf/H] |
| [Ta/R] | [Ta/H] | [Ta/H] | [Ta/H] |
| [W/R] | [W/H] | [W/H] | [W/H] |
| [Re/R] | [Re/H] | [Re/H] | [Re/H] |
| [Os/R] | [Os/H] | [Os/H] | [Os/H] |
| [Ir/R] | [Ir/H] | [Ir/H] | [Ir/H] |
| [Pt/R] | [Pt/H] | [Pt/H] | [Pt/H] |
| [Au/R] | [Au/H] | [Au/H] | [Au/H] |
| [Hg/R] | [Hg/H] | [Hg/H] | [Hg/H] |
| [Tl/R] | [Tl/H] | [Tl/H] | [Tl/H] |
| [Pb/R] | [Pb/H] | [Pb/H] | [Pb/H] |
| [Bi/R] | [Bi/H] | [Bi/H] | [Bi/H] |
| [Th/R] | [Th/H] | [Th/H] | [Th/H] |
| [U/R] | [U/H] | [U/H] | [U/H] |