Oxygen atom. Diagram of an atom of the element oxygen, showing the central nucleus surrounded by its electron orbitals. Oxygen is the eighth element, and has eight protons (red) in its nucleus, along with eight neutrons (blue). Oxygen has eight electrons, and each of its orbitals can hold a maximum of two. Orbitals are filled from the lowest energy (nearest the nucleus) first, so there are two electrons in the inner 1s orbital, and two in the higher energy 2s orbital (green spheres), two in one of the slightly higher energy 2p orbitals (blue), and one in each of the other two 2p orbitals (red and yellow). For clarity, solid lines show the paths of the electrons. In reality, electrons can be found anywhere, and the shape of each orbital is based only on where it is most likely to be found. HD contains a transparent alpha channel. For a flat version on a white background, see clip number K002 2311. |