Oxygen

Oxygen is actually the most abundant element at the surface of the Earth which is a colorless, tasteless and odorless gaseous chemical element. It makes up nearly 21% the earth’s atmosphere. Humans are absolutely familiar with oxygen since it plays a key role in many of the important processes of life. Approximately 2/3 of the mass of the human body is oxygen. Therefore without oxygen, all organisms would never be able to survive within minutes. The atomic number of oxygen is eight and it is identified by an O symbol on the periodic table of elements. Oxygen has three stable isotopes. Its atomic weight is 15.9994, melting point is -214oC, boiling point is -183oC and density is 1.429. It can combine with most other elements and is extremely essential for plant and animal respiration. At the standard temperature and pressure, oxygen is found as a gas consisting of a diatomic molecule with the chemical formula O2. Oxygen was produced by some chemists prior to its discovery in 1774. However, they failed to recognize it as a distinct element. Joseph Priestley and Carl Wilhelm Scheele both independently discovered oxygen, but Priestly was usually given credit for the discovery. Oxygen comes from the Greek words “oxys” and “genes” which mean “acid forming.” Lavoisier named the element oxygen because he mistakenly believed that oxygen was necessary to form all acids. One place that oxygen is found in nature is water. Two hydrogen atoms combine with one oxygen atom to create a molecule of water H2O. Oxygen can be found wherever there are green plants or trees. Plants and trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Oxygen not only gives people life but also destroys the harmful bacteria in our bodies without affecting the beneficial bacteria that we need. Hospitals frequently prescribe oxygen for patients with respiratory ailments. In addition, oxygen is essential to respiration, so oxygen supplementation has found use in medicine.

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