OXYGEN

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Basic Facts

Name: Oxygen ( ok-si -jen)
Symbol: O
Greek Roots: oxys and genes, together meaning “acid forming”
Description: colorless gas; odorless; tasteless; pale blue when in liquid and solid form.
Atomic Mass: 15.9994
Atomic Number: 8
Melting Point: 54.36 K (-218.79°C or -361.82°F)
Boiling Point: 90.20 K (-182.95°C or -297.31°F)
Physical State at Room Temperature: Gas
Density: 0.001429 grams per cubic centimeter
Period Number: 2
Group Number: 16
Group Name: Halogen
Series: Nonmetal

Oxygen is a colorless gas at room temperature.
Where Oxygen is Found and How Oxygen is Obtained

Only ranked after hydrogen and helium, oxygen is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. The gas accounts for 20.9% of the Earth’s atmosphere, about 90% of the mass of water, about 67% of the mass of the human body, and 49.2% of the Earth’s crust. The bright yellow-green colors of the Aurora are a result of oxygen releasing energy after having been excited.

When plants conduct photosynthesis to make food, oxygen is produced. Oxygen produced in this manner accounts for much of the oxygen in the atmosphere.

There are three primary methods to obtain oxygen: they are fractional distillation, electrolysis, and heating potassium chlorate or mercuric oxide. Fractional distillation involves extracting oxygen through liquefied air. Gaseous oxygen is put in cool temperatures until it liquefies. After a complicated distillation course, the produced oxygen is transported in pressurized tubes. Almost all produced oxygen is produced by this air separation method. Electrolysis of water is the method by which water is separated to isolate oxygen. Electrolysis is the common method used for those who want to produce oxygen in high abundance and purity and is thus more expensive than the alternative methods mentioned. While Joseph Priestley heated mercuric oxide to obtain oxygen, most of today’s students prefer heating potassium chlorate (KClO3). Oxygen is isolated when solid potassium chlorate is heated to 400 degrees Celsius. The oxygen can be collected by water displacement.