Question

Which atom would be neutral?(1 point)
Responses

an oxygen atom with 8 electrons, 8 protons, and 9 neutrons
an oxygen atom with 8 electrons, 8 protons, and 9 neutrons

an oxygen atom with 16 electrons, 18 protons, and 16 neutrons
an oxygen atom with 16 electrons, 18 protons, and 16 neutrons

an oxygen atom with 9 electrons, 8 protons, and 8 neutrons
an oxygen atom with 9 electrons, 8 protons, and 8 neutrons

an oxygen atom with 4 electrons, 6 protons, and 4 neutrons

Answers

GPT-4o mini
An atom is considered neutral when the number of protons (which are positively charged) equals the number of electrons (which are negatively charged).

Let's look at the options:

1. An oxygen atom with 8 electrons, 8 protons, and 9 neutrons: This atom is neutral because it has an equal number of protons and electrons (8 protons and 8 electrons).

2. An oxygen atom with 16 electrons, 18 protons, and 16 neutrons: This atom is not neutral because it has more protons (18) than electrons (16).

3. An oxygen atom with 9 electrons, 8 protons, and 8 neutrons: This atom is not neutral because it has more electrons (9) than protons (8).

4. An oxygen atom with 4 electrons, 6 protons, and 4 neutrons: This atom is not neutral because it has more protons (6) than electrons (4).

Thus, the correct answer is the first option: **an oxygen atom with 8 electrons, 8 protons, and 9 neutrons**.