element sentence | Python Fiddle

import itertools

element_symbols = []
element_names = []

# opens files containing element symbols and names and puts them into strings
for line in open('element_symbols.txt'):
  line = line.replace('\n', '')
  element_symbols.append(line)
for line in open('element_names.txt'):
  line = line.replace('\n', '')
  element_names.append(line)
# end

symbols = []
for element in element_symbols:
  element = element.replace('\n', '')
  symbols.append(element.lower())

theinput = input('please insert phrase here: ')
phrase = theinput.lower()
phrase = phrase.lstrip()

# separates parts of word: each group of two, for example phrase[1,2] and phrase[2,3]
bits = []
counter = 0
section = ''
section2 = ''
for letter in phrase:
  section = section + letter
  if len(section) == 2:
    bits.append(section)
    section = ''
  if counter != 0:
    section2 = section2 + letter
    if len(section2) == 2:
      bits.append(section2)
      section2 = ''
  counter += 1
  if counter == len(phrase):
    bits.append(letter)
# end

part = 0
new = []
for section in bits:
  for element in symbols:
    if element == section[0]:
      new.append(element)
    elif element == section:
      new.append(element)
  if len(new) == 0:
    exit()
  part += 1

print(new)

length = range(0, len(phrase) * 2)
options = {}
count = 1
total = []
for each in length:
  print(each)
  for x in itertools.permutations(new, each):
    total.append(x)
    y = ''.join(x)
    print(y)
    options[y] = x
    count += 1
  print(options)
print(count)
print(len(total))
#for x in itertools.permutations(new, 3):
#  y = ''.join(x)
#  options[y] = x

#print(options)

#complete = []
#for option in options:
#  if option == phrase:
#    complete.append(options[option])

#print(complete)
#for item in complete:
  
#  item = str(item)
#  item = item.replace('(', '')
#  item = item.replace(')', '')
#  item = item.replace("'", '')
#  item_symbols = item.split(', ')
#  print(item_symbols)

###  possibly take first 2 letters of word and see if any elements are contained
###	this could be done for each group of two, for example phrase[1,2] and phrase[2,3]
###		all places where case matched can be stored and placed together to create all possible versions
#			yay

Python Fiddle

Python Cloud IDE