Compared to the mass of a hydrogen atom, the mass of an oxygen atom is
A)8 times as great.
B)12 times as great.
C)16 times as great.
D)appreciably more than 16 times as great.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mass of an oxygen atom is about 16 times greater than the mass of a hydrogen atom. This is because both hydrogen and oxygen have one proton in their nucleus, but oxygen has 8 neutrons while hydrogen only has 0 or 1 neutron. The difference in the number of neutrons leads to a much greater mass for oxygen.

Compared to the Mass of a Hydrogen Atom, the Mass