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Oxygen is listed as O2. Think about it....H20 (the two should be a subscript) - that is the formula for water. For every one oxygen atom there is two hydrogen atoms. Oxygen can not be listed alone....has to pair up.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoOxygen has 6 valency electrons. See the explanation below...:
Okay, so one oxygen atom looks like this is my explanation:
oooooo
as you can see from this, there are 6 valency electrons, meaning the are 6 electrons on its outer shell (its configuration is 2s2 2p4)
Atoms like to have a full outer shell. the first four shells full capacity is listed below:
shell one: 2
shell two: 8
shell three: 8
shell four: 18
For oxygen to have a full outer shell it must have 8electrons in it, it only has 6.
so if one oxygen atom merges with another, they "share" electrons, giving both a full outer shell and ultimately being virtually unreactive. (see below)
oooooo + oooooo = oooooOOooooo
hint: "o" is an electron. "O" is a shared electron.
so one oxygen atom (from the diatomic molecule) looks like this:
ooooooOO
and the other like this:
OOoooooo
So, in summary, oxygen by itself doesn't have enough electrons to be stable so it shares electrons with another oxygen.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe atoms of any element, except noble gasses, can't exist freely in nature. The reason is that the atoms of an element have electrons revolving around their nucleus. Every shell of an atom that has 8 electrons in is said to be stable. In oxygen atoms there are 6 electrons in its outermost shell. In order to make themselves more stable, 2 atoms of oxygen share their 2 electrons each to form double covalent bond and form an oxygen molecule O2.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoMost gasses are diatomic because there are very weak forces holding them together.
Because both atoms in the diatomic molecule are the same, they have the same electronegativity, so neither pulls the electron density to itself. Therefore, it cannot be polar, nor have intermolecular attraction due to it. The only forces between diatomic molecules is the Vanderwaals force, which is very weak.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agobecause hydrogens charge is -1,or +1, so two hydrogen atoms's charge is neutral.
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The type of chemical bond exists between the atoms in a water molecule?
the two hydrogens and the oxygen are covalently bonded together. water molecules are bonded to other water molecules by hydrogen bonds
What element exists as molecules containing eight atoms?
Elements normally do not form "molecules" apart from 3 gaseous elements which form diatomic molecules. However, Sulfur exists in molecules comprising 8 atoms, while Phosphorous exists as a 4 atom molecule.
Which atom exists as a diatomic molecule in nature?
Numerous elements exist as diatomic molecules in nature, including hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, bromine, fluorine, and iodine.
Which atoms exist as triatomic molecules?
Ozone exists as triatomic molecules. O3
In what location do the RBC shed the oxygen molecules?
The RBCs shed the oxygen molecules in the capillaries
What is hydrogen fuel's chemical formula?
hydrogen + oxygen → water 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O Hydrogen gas exists as diatomic molecules, H2 and oxygen gas exists as diatomic molecules, O2
What do oxygen molecules contain?
Molecules of oxygen contain 2 oxygen atoms. Oxygen is a diatomic gas, meaning that it exists in pairs of atoms when in pure gas form. Other diatomic gasses include hydrogen and nitrogen.
What type of van der Waals force exists between molecules of oxygen?
Oxygen molecules are not polar, so their are no dipole attractions. Further, there are no hydrogen bonds holding oxygen molecules together. The only real intermolecular force would be dispersion forces.
Why can oxygen be described as an atom and a molecule?
Oxygen is an element and so has its own unique type of atom. However, oxygen usually does not exists as individual atoms, but rather as O2 molecules, that is, molecules containing 2 oxygen atoms. O3 is another type of oxygen molecule know as ozone.
Which of the following elements exists as diatomic molecules?
Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Oxygen, Nitrogen and Hydrogen all exist as diatomic molecules.
The type of chemical bond exists between the atoms in a water molecule?
the two hydrogens and the oxygen are covalently bonded together. water molecules are bonded to other water molecules by hydrogen bonds
Are oxygen molecules bigger or smaller then nitrogen molecules?
No CO2 is carbon dioxide, which is a compound consisting of one carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms. Carbon dioxide is what you breathe out and what is produced by cars. O2 is simply atmospheric oxygen (what you breathe in). Most oxygen exists as two oxygen atoms bonded together.
How do fish take oxygen from water?
yes. fishes receive oxygen under ocean . This is because of aquatic plants.
Is oxygen an element or a compound?
Oxygen (O2) is an element, it consists of only one substance = oxygen Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a compound it consists of carbon and oxygen
What element exists as molecules containing eight atoms?
Elements normally do not form "molecules" apart from 3 gaseous elements which form diatomic molecules. However, Sulfur exists in molecules comprising 8 atoms, while Phosphorous exists as a 4 atom molecule.
How many molecules in oxygen gas?
There are 1/6.022 x 1023 = 1.66 x 10-24 moles of oxygen in 1 molecule of O2.
What are the total number of atoms in two oxygen molecules?
There are 4 oxygen atoms in two oxygen molecules.
