What does the 8 above oxygen on the periodic table mean?

Answer 1

A superscript 8 on the left side of an atomic symbol means the particular isotope has a mass number of 8. A superscript number on the right side of an atomic symbol should mean that the symbol is for an ion with charge of 8, but this would normally also have a plus or minus sign associated with it.

Answer 2

The atomic number of 8 is the element of oxygen (O). The atomic number also signifies how many protons an atom of O has, which is 8. Oxygen is commonly found in molecular the molecular form of O2 however.

Answer 3

If the number you are asking about is directly above the chemical symbol of the element, then the number is in fact the atomic number. The atomic number refers to the number of protons in the element's nucleus, which is composed of protons and neutrons. The number of protons characterizes the elements specific properties, whether it is a metal, nonmetal, or metalloid.

For example, let us think about oxygen. Oxygen is a diatomic gas meaning that it is bond of two oxygen atoms. Looking at the Periodic Table, oxygen is the 8th element listed. 8 is the number above the chemical symbol (O - oxygen). 8 means that an atom of oxygen contains 8 protons.


Furthermore, a proton has a positive charge. This is a subatomic particle that along with neutrons makes up most of the mass of the atom.

Answer 4

The 8 above the element oxygen on the periodic table is that element's atomic number.

The atomic number is the number of protons and neutrons an atom has. The oxygen atom has 8 protons and neutrons therefore it's atomic number is 8.

Answer 5

8 is it's atomic number. It is the number of protons that are found in its nucleus and the number of electrons it has as a neutral atom.

Answer 6

The number 8 would signify the atomic number, or how many protons are in the nucleus of the atom. That particular element would be Oxygen, because Oxygen has 8 protons in its nucleus.

Answer 7

Oxygen, O