Question

Which has a greater number of atoms?
46g of Na & 46g of O

Answer 1

To answer this question, we first need to understand what an atom is. The smallest unit of ordinary matter that makes up a chemical element is an atom. Atoms that are neutral or ionized make up every solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Atoms are incredibly small, measuring about 100 picometers in diameter.

Complete answer:
Sodium - The chemical element sodium has the symbol Na and the atomic number 11. It's a delicate, silvery-white metal with a high reactivity. Sodium belongs to the periodic table's group 1 as an alkali metal. The free metal isn't found in nature; thus, it has to be made from compounds. It has a mass of 23 grams.
Oxygen - Oxygen is a chemical element with the atomic number 8 and the symbol O. It is a highly reactive nonmetal and an oxidizing agent that rapidly produces oxides with most elements and other compounds. It belongs to the chalcogen group in the periodic table. It has a 16-gram atomic mass.
$No.{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} of{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} moles = \dfrac{{mass{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} of{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} sodium}}{{Molar{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} mass}}$
As given in the question mass of sodium given is 46 grams
Putting value
$No.{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} of{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} moles = \dfrac{{46}}{{23}} = 2$
Similarly, as we are given with the mass of oxygen as 46 grams
So $No.{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} of{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} moles = \dfrac{{mass{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} of{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} oxygen}}{{Molar{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} mass}}$
So, by putting values,
$No.{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} of{\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} {\kern 1pt} moles = \dfrac{{46}}{{16}} = 2.875$
As we know, the number of moles is directly proportional to the number of atoms.
So, by this we conclude that oxygen has a greater number of atoms due to a greater number of atoms available.
So, the final answer is oxygen.

Note:
The proportionality factor that connects the number of constituent particles in a sample to the amount of material in that sample is known as the Avogadro constant. The reciprocal mole is its SI unit, and it is defined as ${N_A} = 6.022 \times {10^{23}} = 1\,mol$. It is named after Amedeo Avogadro, an Italian scientist.