Oxygen [O] (CAS-ID: 7782-44-7) locate me
An: 8 N: 8 Am: 15.9994 (3)
Group No: 16  Group Name: Chalcogen
Block: p-block  Period: 2
State: gas at 298 K
Colour: colourless as a gas, liquid is pale blue Classification: Non-metallic
Boiling Point: 90.20K (-182.95'C)
Melting Point: 54.36K (-218.79'C)
Density: 1.429g/l
Shell Structure diagram | Atomic Radius diagram
Isotopes | Allotropes | More Info
Discovery Information
Who: Joseph Priestley, Karl Wilhelm Scheele
When: 1774
Where: England/Sweden
Name Origin
Greek: oxus (acid) and gennan (generate).
Sources
Obtained primarily from by liquification and then fractional distillation of the air.
Uses
Used in steel making, production of methanol (CH3OH), welding, water purification, cement and rocket propulsion. It is also required for supporting life and combustion.
Oxygen is a major component of air, produced by plants during photosynthesis, and is necessary for aerobic respiration in animals.
Notes
Certain derivatives of oxygen, such as ozone (O3), singlet oxygen, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl radicals and superoxide (O2-), are highly toxic. Highly concentrated sources of oxygen promote rapid combustion and therefore are fire and explosion hazards in the presence of fuels.
Liquid and solid O2 are both a light blue colour. Ozone (O3) is a deeper blue colour.
Oxygen is the second most common element on Earth, composing around 46% of the mass of Earth's crust and 28% of the mass of Earth as a whole, and is the third most common element in the universe. Forms almost 21% of atmosphere.
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