Element 8 · Oxygen (O)

Oxygen Bohr model: diagram and electrons per shell

The oxygen Bohr model shows a oxygen atom (O) as a small nucleus with its electrons circling it in 2 shells: 2 in shell K and 6 in shell L. This page has a rotating 3D oxygen Bohr model, a flat diagram, a table of the electrons in each shell and the steps to draw it yourself.

Rotate the oxygen Bohr model in 3D

Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom.

This is a Bohr model of oxygen (O), a simplified picture of a single oxygen atom. Its nucleus holds 8 protons, and a neutral oxygen atom has 8 electrons, arranged around it in 2 shells (2 in shell K and 6 in shell L).

O K · 21s² L · 62s² 2p⁴

Oxygen Bohr model diagram

Bohr model diagram of oxygen: a nucleus of 8 protons with 8 electrons on 2 shells, 2 in shell K and 6 in shell L, each ring labelled with its shell letter. — The oxygen Bohr model drawn flat: each ring is a shell, labelled with its letter, and every dot is an electron (2 in shell K and 6 in shell L).

Oxygen electrons per shell

A neutral oxygen atom has 8 electrons, one for each of its 8 protons. They fill the shells from the nucleus outwards: 2 in shell K and 6 in shell L.

Electrons in each shell of the oxygen Bohr model
Shell	Shell number (n)	Electrons	Most it can hold (2n²)	Subshells
K	1	2	2	1s²
L	2	6	8	2s² 2p⁴

How the oxygen Bohr model builds up, shell by shell

Watch the oxygen Bohr model come together: the nucleus first, then each shell in turn, from the innermost outwards, with its electrons joining the ring. The legend names every shell and counts its electrons, so you can read off the arrangement (2 in shell K and 6 in shell L) as it forms.

Animation of the oxygen Bohr model being built: a nucleus of 8 protons appears first, then each shell grows in around it and takes its electrons, giving 8 electrons on 2 shells (2 in shell K and 6 in shell L). — The oxygen Bohr model built up in six seconds: the nucleus first, then each shell with its electrons, ending with 2 in shell K and 6 in shell L. Protons are red, neutrons yellow and electrons blue.

How to draw the oxygen Bohr model

Find the atomic number. Oxygen has atomic number 8, so a neutral atom has 8 protons and 8 electrons.
Draw the nucleus. Put a circle in the centre and write O in it. The 8 protons sit there with the neutrons.
Draw the shells. Sketch 2 shells as rings around the nucleus. A shell holds at most 2n² electrons: 2 in the first, 8 in the second, 18 in the third and 32 in the fourth.
Place the electrons. Fill from the inside out: 2 in shell K and 6 in shell L.
Check the total. 2 + 6 = 8, the atomic number, so every electron is accounted for.

Atomic data for the oxygen Bohr model

The numbers behind the oxygen Bohr model, grouped by topic. Radii are in picometres (pm) and energies in kilojoules per mole (kJ/mol).

Identity

Symbol: O
Atomic number: 8
Atomic mass: 15.999 u
Family: Reactive Nonmetals
Position: group 16, period 2
Block: p-block

Electron configuration

Full: 1s² 2s² 2p⁴
Shorthand: [He] 2s² 2p⁴
Electrons per shell: 2, 6
Outer-shell electrons: 6 in shell L

Ionisation energies

I₁: 1313.9
I₂: 3388.3
I₃: 5300.5
I₄: 7469.2
I₅: 10989.5
I₆: 13326.5
I₇: 71330
I₈: 84078

Energy to remove each electron in turn (kJ/mol). A sharp jump means the next electron comes from an inner shell.

Atomic radii

Calculated (pm): 48
Empirical (pm): 60
Covalent (pm): 63
Van der Waals (pm): 152

Electronegativity and electron affinity

Electronegativity (Pauling): 3.44
Electron affinity (kJ/mol): 140.976

Oxidation states

−2

Charges the element commonly takes in compounds.

Physical properties, abundance and history of oxygen

Bulk properties of oxygen, how common it is, who discovered it and some of its compounds.

Physical properties

Phase at room conditions: Gas
Melting point: -218.79°C (54.36 K)
Boiling point: -182.96°C (90.188 K)
Density: 0.001429 g/cm³
Thermal conductivity (W/m·K): 0.027
Specific heat (J/g·K): 0.918

Abundance

Earth's crust (mg/kg): 461000
Oceans (mg/L): 857000

Discovery

Discovered by: Carl Wilhelm Scheele
Year: 1774
Named by: Antoine Lavoisier

Common compounds

Acetone C3H6O
4-tert-Pentylphenol C11H16O
Geraniol C10H18O
Vitamin D3 C27H44O
Sodium Hypochlorite ClNaO
Ethanol C2H6O
Methanol CH4O
Pentachlorophenol C6HCl5O

Compounds listed in the PubChem database.

Main isotopes of oxygen

Isotopes of oxygen share the same 8 protons but differ in neutrons. Natural isotopes come first, then the longest-lived others.

Main isotopes of oxygen: mass number, abundance, half-life and decay
Mass number	Natural abundance	Half-life	Decay
14	–	70.621 s	β⁺
15	–	122.266 s	β⁺
16	99.757 %	stable	–
17	0.038 %	stable	–
18	0.204 %	stable	–
19	–	26.47 s	β⁻

α = alpha decay, β⁻ = beta-minus, β⁺ = beta-plus, EC = electron capture, SF = spontaneous fission, p / n = proton / neutron emission.

More about oxygen

Oxygen on the periodic table – properties, isotopes, uses and the full oxygen page.
Reactive Nonmetals – all reactive nonmetal elements and their trends.
Bohr model of every element – the Bohr model of all 118 elements.