What is the mass number of oxygen?

The mass number of oxygen is 16.

This value is determined by the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an oxygen atom. Oxygen has 8 protons, which is what defines it as oxygen, and it typically has 8 neutrons. Therefore, when you add these together (8 protons + 8 neutrons), you get a mass number of 16. This mass number is significant because it helps distinguish between various isotopes of an element. For example, while most oxygen found in nature is oxygen-16, there are rare isotopes like oxygen-17 and oxygen-18, which have different numbers of neutrons.

More Related Questions