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An oxygen atom joins with another oxygen atom in a covalent bond. This means that they share two of each other's outer electrons, which in turn means that they are both stable as they now have full outer shells - they join together and become O2.

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13y ago
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11y ago

Because an oxygen atom by itself is very reactive, so, it combines with other oxygen atoms so its not as reactive!

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10y ago

as an atom yes. As oxygen diatomic molecules, no. As ozone in the upper atmosphere, no.

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Q: Why does oxygen have unpaired electrons?
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Related questions

What is the numbers of electrons in oxygen?

O2 has two unpaired electrons. The O atom has two unpaired electrons.


How many unpaired electrons are there in a oxygen atom in its ground state?

An oxygen atom has 8 electrons, and thus 6 valence electrons. 4 of these are paired, giving us 2 unpaired lectrons. This also means oxygen can connect to 2 other atoms through a basic bond, or 1 atom through a double bond.


What factor dertemines that an oxygen atom can form two covalent bonds while a carbon atom can form four?

It is the number of unpaired electrons in their valence shells. Oxygen has two unpaired valence electrons and carbon has four unpaired valence electrons.


How many valence electrons are in o?

O - Oxygen has 6 valence electrons.


How many unpaired electrons are there arsenic?

There are 3 unpaired electrons.


How many unpaired electrons are in mercury?

zero - there are no unpaired electrons


How many unpaired electrons does rhodium have?

three unpaired electrons


How many unpaired electrons are in strontium?

There are no unpaired electrons in strontium.


How does the molecular order structure explain the magnetic properties of oxygen?

Molecular orbital theory predicts that ground state diatomic oxygen has two unpaired electrons (it is a diradical) which occupy its pi orbitals. These unpaired electrons produce a magnetic moment and are responsible for the paramagnetic property of diatomic oxygen.


How many unpaired electrons are in Molybdenum?

6 unpaired electrons


How many unpaired electrons in (d) subshell in ferric Fe3?

5 unpaired electrons There are 5 unpaired electrons in the Fe3+ ion. The reason for this is that Iron has the electron configuration Ar3d5.


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A silicon atom has 4 unpaired electrons.