If an element has a +1 positive charge and the following chemical symbol, how many electrons does it have? 17 on top, 6 on bottom, Oxygen (O)
A. 7
B. 17
C. 5
D. 18
O has 8 protons and 8 neutrons.
normally it has 8 electrons as well when it is neutral
HOWEVER if it has a charge of +1 (unusual for O by the way) then it lost one of those 8 electrons and is left with 7
To determine the number of electrons of an element with a given charge, you can refer to the atomic number of the element. The atomic number of an element is the number of protons it has in its nucleus, and since atoms are electrically neutral, it is also equal to the number of electrons in an atom.
In this case, the chemical symbol provided is Oxygen (O), which has an atomic number of 8. Since the element has a +1 positive charge, it means there is one less electron than the number of protons. Therefore, the number of electrons can be calculated as:
Number of electrons = Atomic number - Charge
For Oxygen with a +1 charge:
Number of electrons = 8 - 1
Number of electrons = 7
So, the element Oxygen (O) with a +1 positive charge has 7 electrons.
The correct answer is A. 7.