Oxygen-16
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| General | |
|---|---|
Excess energy | −4737.00135(16)[1] keV |
| Isotopes of oxygen Complete table of nuclides | |
Oxygen-16 (symbol: 16O or 16
8O
) is a
stable isotope of oxygen, with 8 neutrons and 8 protons in its nucleus, and when not ionized, 8 electrons orbiting the nucleus. Oxygen-16 has a mass of 15.99491461956 u. It is the most abundant isotope of oxygen and accounts for 99.762% of oxygen's natural abundance.[2]
The relative and absolute abundances of oxygen-16 are high because it is a principal product of
initially made exclusively of hydrogen
.
Most oxygen-16 is synthesized at the end of the
helium fusion process in stars; the triple-alpha process creates carbon-12, which captures an additional helium-4 to make oxygen-16. The neon-burning process
also makes it.
Oxygen-16 is doubly magic.
Solid samples (organic and inorganic) for oxygen-16 studies are usually stored in silver cups and measured with pyrolysis and mass spectrometry.[3] Researchers need to avoid improper or prolonged storage of the samples for accurate measurements.[3]
Originally, one
atomic mass unit was defined as one sixteenth of the mass of oxygen-16, but the atomic mass unit has since been redefined as one twelfth of the mass of carbon-12
.
References
- .
- ^ "Table of Isotopic Masses and Natural Abundances" (PDF). 1999.
- ^ ISSN 2516-712X.
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