Oxygen Facts
Oxygen is the most required thing for the survival of all living things. We breathe oxygen in. this gas is colorless, odorless and tasteless. Oxygen is the third most common element in the world after hydrogen and helium. This gas makes approximately 35% of the earth’s atmosphere and 21% of the dry air. Half of the earth’s crust is made up of Oxygen, in terms of weight.
Facts you didn’t know: –
- This gas was given the name oxygen by French scientist Antoine Lavoisier. The word has been derived from the Greek word where ‘oxys’ means acid and ‘genes’ means formation.
- Atomic number of Oxygen is 8 and atomic symbol is O. It has an atomic weight of 15.9994.
- Oxygen gas does not burn itself but it supports combustion.
- In 1771, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a Swedish pharmacist discovered the Oxygen gas but Joseph Priestly is credited with the discovery in 1774. Initially Carl named it ‘fire gas’.
- Liquid form of oxygen is magnetic. In this form, it has the color blue.
- Oxygen has twice solubility in water as compared to the Nitrogen gas.
- Approximately 88.9% weight of water is made up of oxygen gas.
- Oxygen atoms cause the northern and southern lights.
- Some people believe that hyperventilation is caused by breathing in too much oxygen which is not true. It is caused by breathing too quickly.
- This gas has a melting point -218.79°C and a boiling point of -182.95°C.
- O-16 is the most common isotope of oxygen.
- Oxygen is a member of the chalcogen group on the periodic table.
- Ozone (O3) is an allotrope of oxygen. It forms the upper layer of the atmosphere known as Ozone layer.
- Oxygen easily forms compounds with all the elements except helium and neon.
- This gas has low thermal and electrical conductivity.
