Compare

Compare Elements

Place two elements side by side to compare their atomic structure, particles, isotopes, shells, and electron behavior.

Left element
Right element

Atom previews

Simplified Bohr-style · not to scale
Loading atom…
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Comparison summary

Neutral atom · educational

Atomic number

6vs8

Atomic mass (u)

12.011vs15.999

Protons

6vs8

Electrons

6vs8

Neutrons

6vs8

Electron shells

2vs2

Electron counts are for a neutral atom (equal to the proton count). Neutron counts marked ≈ approx.are estimated from the standard atomic mass where curated isotope data isn't available.

CPropertyO
  • [He] 2s2 2p2Electron configurationdiffers[He] 2s2 2p4
  • Reactive nonmetalsCategorysameReactive nonmetals
  • p-blockBlocksamep-block
  • 2Periodsame2
  • 14Groupdiffers16

Shell distribution

Bohr-style
Carbon2 · 4
Oxygen2 · 6
  • Shell 1
    2
    2
  • Shell 2differs
    4
    6

Shell distribution counts electrons per energy level for the simplified Bohr-style view used throughout Atomic Explorer. Electrons fill inner shells before outer ones; the outermost (valence) shell most affects an element's chemistry.

Electron configuration

Electron configuration describes how electrons are arranged across energy levels and orbitals.

Carbon[He] 2s2 2p2
Oxygen[He] 2s2 2p4
p-block·p-block
same block

Category & placement

CarbonReactive nonmetals
vs
OxygenReactive nonmetals
  • Same categoryyes
  • Same blockyes
  • Same periodyes
  • Same groupno

Physical & atomic properties

SolidstateGas
  • 3823 KMelting point54.36 K
  • 4098 KBoiling point90.2 K
  • 2.267 g/cm³Density0.001429 g/cm³
  • 2.55Electronegativity3.44
  • 70 pmAtomic radius60 pm
  • 1087 kJ/mol1st ionization1314 kJ/mol

Isotopes

Isotopes of an element share the same proton count but differ in neutrons, changing the mass number. For a neutral atom the electron count stays the same too.

Carbon3 curated
  • Carbon-12
    stable
    Mass 12Neutrons 6Abundance ≈98.9%
  • Carbon-13
    stable
    Mass 13Neutrons 7Abundance ≈1.1%
  • Carbon-14
    unstable
    Mass 14Neutrons 8Half-life ≈5,730 years
Oxygen3 curated
  • Oxygen-16
    stable
    Mass 16Neutrons 8Abundance ≈99.76%
  • Oxygen-17
    stable
    Mass 17Neutrons 9Abundance ≈0.04%
  • Oxygen-18
    stable
    Mass 18Neutrons 10Abundance ≈0.20%

What's different

Cautious, general insights

Difference highlights

educational

  • Oxygen has 2 more protons than Carbon, so it is a different element with atomic number 8. In a neutral atom it also has 2 more electrons.

  • Both Carbon and Oxygen are p-block elements, so their outer electrons fill the same type of orbital.

  • Both atoms use 2 electron shells in this Bohr-style view, placing them in period 2.

  • Oxygen shows 6 electrons in its outer shell versus 4 for Carbon. Outer-shell electrons strongly influence how an element bonds, though this app keeps bonding explanations simplified.

  • Carbon and Oxygen both belong to the reactive nonmetals category.

  • On this app's simplified structural-complexity score, Oxygen rates higher — it has more protons, shells, and neutrons to account for. Treat this as an educational indicator, not a physical constant.

This is an educational comparison. Atom previews use a simplified Bohr-style model and are not drawn to scale; Bohr rings are a teaching abstraction rather than physically exact orbits. Electron counts assume a neutral atom, and neutron counts marked “≈ approx.” are estimated from the standard atomic mass. Atomic Explorer is not a full chemistry simulator, so bonding and reactivity statements are kept general.