How many protons are in the isotope Oxygen-20?
what is the atomic number of Oxygen? Ans 8
Thank you!
To find the number of protons in the isotope Oxygen-20, we need to know the atomic number of oxygen. The atomic number represents the number of protons in an atom of an element. Oxygen has an atomic number of 8, which means it has 8 protons.
Now, let's focus on Oxygen-20 specifically. The number 20 refers to the mass number of the isotope, which is the sum of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. Since we know that oxygen has 8 protons, to find the number of neutrons in Oxygen-20, we subtract the number of protons from the mass number.
Mass number - Number of protons = Number of neutrons
20 - 8 = 12
Therefore, Oxygen-20 has 8 protons.