Oxygen (O) is a chemical element with the atomic number 8. This means that each oxygen atom has 8 protons in its nucleus. Since atoms are electrically neutral, they also have 8 electrons surrounding the nucleus.
Oxygen typically exists as a diatomic molecule, O2. In this molecule, two oxygen atoms are bonded together. Therefore, an O2 molecule contains:
- 16 protons (8 protons from each oxygen atom)
- 16 electrons (8 electrons from each oxygen atom)
In summary, an O2 molecule has 16 protons and 16 electrons.