 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. |
|
| Notes |
| Certain derivatives of oxygen, such as ozone (O3), singlet oxygen, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl radicals and superoxide (O2-), are highly toxic. |
| 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. |
