the atomic number of oxygen is 8. How many protons, neutrons and electrons are in an oxygen icon with a charge of -2 and a mass number of 17?

The atomic number gives the number of protons OR the number of electrons in an atom (the number of protons and the number of electrons are always the same for the NEUTRAL atom).

The mass number give the sum of the number of protons plus the number of neutrons.
The charge on an ion gives you the number of excess electrons on the atom (to make the ion) and it will be negative if there are an excess of electrons (more electrons than protons) and positive if there are more protons than electrons.

To determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an oxygen ion with a charge of -2 and a mass number of 17, you first need to understand some basic concepts.

1. Atomic Number: The atomic number of an element represents the number of protons in its nucleus. In this case, the atomic number of oxygen is 8.

2. Mass Number: The mass number of an atom or ion is the total number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. In this case, the mass number is given as 17.

3. Charge: The charge of an ion is determined by the number of electrons gained or lost. A positive charge (+) indicates the loss of electrons, while a negative charge (-) indicates the gain of electrons.

So, let's calculate the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons step by step:

1. Protons: Since the atomic number of oxygen is 8, the number of protons in an oxygen ion remains the same. So, there are 8 protons.

2. Neutrons: To find the number of neutrons, subtract the number of protons (8) from the mass number (17): 17 - 8 = 9 neutrons.

3. Electrons: The charge of the oxygen ion is -2. This means that it has gained 2 electrons. Since oxygen typically has 8 electrons, adding 2 extra electrons would give a total of 10 electrons.

So, the oxygen ion with a charge of -2 and a mass number of 17 has 8 protons, 9 neutrons, and 10 electrons.