Meaning & use

atomic number 16

noun·Academic

The atomic number of sulfur, meaning each sulfur atom has sixteen protons in its nucleus.

See it in a sentence

Because sulfur has atomic number 16, it sits in group sixteen of the periodic table.

Students memorized that atomic number 16 identifies sulfur, a yellow nonmetal element.

A note on using this word

An atomic number identifies an element uniquely; changing the proton count creates a different element entirely.

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