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What Happens if Two Protons Are Added to an Oxygen Nucleus?

Understanding the dynamics of atoms begins with the periodic table. Individual atoms -- such as oxygen -- contain three basic parts: protons, neutrons and electrons. Altering the combination of protons of an atom generally renders it a different element, barring special circumstances. This composition change rarely occurs between elements in real life; however, it does show whether a person understands the foundation of the periodic table.

Oxygen plus Two Protons
- O2 -- a combination of two oxygen atoms -- is the fundamental oxygen molecule animals use to survive. Released as a byproduct from plants, oxygen is created from the plants' breakdown of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. Oxygen in a single-atom form contains eight protons and neutrons, as well as six electrons. Adding two protons alters the atomic structure, changing the oxygen atom into neon, a noble gas consisting of 10 protons, 10 neutrons, and a full set of eight electrons.
Understanding the Periodic Table
- To understand how two additional protons affect oxygen, it's critical to understand the placement of oxygen within the periodic table. The top-right number on each element is the first place to look. This number differs for each element and represents the number of protons, as well as neutrons, within each element. The column, ignoring the lower middle section, constitutes the equivalent number of electrons, which is six in the case of oxygen. Adding two protons moves oxygen to the right two spots, also changing the column, thus signifying a new number of electrons.
Isotope Version
- If you add two protons without adding two neutrons to oxygen, in theory, this creates a neon isotope. Isotopes are elements consisting of a different number of neutrons when compared to protons. Although this particular element doesn't exist, several other elements are very capable of creating isotopes possessing different numbers of protons and neutrons. Elements that can form isotopes include carbon, as well as uranium which is a critical isotope used within nuclear weapons.
Electron Issues
- If you weren't to automatically assume electrons alter along with the protons and neutrons, the switch of the element would also have problems. A neon element is called a "noble gas" because of its full electron shell, meaning it doesn't combine with other elements to fill its shell. Oxygen commonly combines with other elements, such as H2O, where oxygen -- which contains six electrons -- combines with two hydrogen atoms, each of which contains one electron. Neon consisting of only the six electrons wouldn't be possible in reality.

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