Number of Neutrons in Oxygen

To calculate the number of neutrons present in a given number of oxygen atoms, we need to understand the atomic structure of oxygen and the composition of its nucleus.

Atomic Structure of Oxygen

Oxygen (O) is an element with atomic number 8, which means it has 8 protons in its nucleus. The atomic number represents the number of protons in an atom. Since the atom is electrically neutral, the number of electrons in oxygen is also 8.

Composition of Oxygen Nucleus

The nucleus of an oxygen atom contains both protons and neutrons. The number of neutrons can vary within a specific element, resulting in different isotopes. However, the most common isotope of oxygen, known as oxygen-16, has 8 neutrons.

Calculating the Number of Neutrons

To calculate the number of neutrons in a given number of oxygen atoms, we can use the Avogadro's number and the molar mass of oxygen.

1. Determine the molar mass of oxygen: The molar mass of oxygen (O) is approximately 16 grams per mole. This means that one mole of oxygen atoms has a mass of 16 grams.

2. Calculate the number of moles: Divide the given number of oxygen atoms (12×10^25) by Avogadro's number, which is approximately 6.022 × 10^23. This will give us the number of moles of oxygen atoms.

Number of moles = (12×10^25) / (6.022 × 10^23)

3. Calculate the number of oxygen nuclei: Multiply the number of moles of oxygen atoms by Avogadro's number. This will give us the number of oxygen nuclei.

Number of oxygen nuclei = (Number of moles) × (Avogadro's number)

4. Calculate the number of neutrons: Since we established earlier that oxygen-16 has 8 neutrons, we can multiply the number of oxygen nuclei by 8 to obtain the number of neutrons.

Number of neutrons = (Number of oxygen nuclei) × 8

Final Calculation

By following the steps above, we can calculate the number of neutrons present in 12×10^25 atoms of oxygen.

1. Determine the number of moles:
Number of moles = (12×10^25) / (6.022 × 10^23) = 1.992 × 10^2 moles

2. Calculate the number of oxygen nuclei:
Number of oxygen nuclei = (1.992 × 10^2 moles) × (6.022 × 10^23) = 1.199 × 10^26 nuclei

3. Calculate the number of neutrons:
Number of neutrons = (1.199 × 10^26 nuclei) × 8 = 9.592 × 10^26 neutrons

Therefore, there are approximately 9.592 × 10^26 neutrons present in 12×10^25 atoms of oxygen.