What is the atomic number of oxygen?

• Answer: 8

What is the symbol for oxygen on the periodic table?

• Answer: O

Is oxygen a metal, non-metal, or metalloid?

• Answer: Oxygen is a non-metal.

What group does oxygen belong to on the periodic table?

• Answer: Group 16, also known as the chalcogens.

What is the atomic weight of oxygen?

• Answer: Approximately 15.999

What is oxygen’s standard state at room temperature?

• Answer: Gas

What percentage of the Earth’s atmosphere is composed of oxygen?

• Answer: About 21%

What are the most common uses of oxygen?

• Answer: Medical use for breathing, industrial use for combustion, welding, and water treatment.

How is oxygen commercially produced?

• Answer: By the fractional distillation of liquefied air.

What is the boiling point of oxygen?

• Answer: -183.0°C (-297.4°F)

What is the melting point of oxygen?

• Answer: -218.79°C (-361.82°F)

Can oxygen exist in forms other than O2?

• Answer: Yes, oxygen can also exist as ozone (O3) and in the form of single atoms in some reactions.

Why is oxygen important for living organisms?

• Answer: Oxygen is essential for respiration, a process in cells that releases energy by reacting oxygen with glucose to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy.

What is the role of oxygen in water (H2O)?

• Answer: Oxygen combines with hydrogen to form water.

How does oxygen support combustion?

• Answer: Oxygen supports combustion by reacting with other elements during burning to release heat and light.

What is oxygen therapy?

• Answer: The medical use of oxygen as a treatment for respiratory diseases to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood.

What are the isotopes of oxygen?

• Answer: Oxygen-16, Oxygen-17, and Oxygen-18.

Why is oxygen used in welding and metal cutting?

• Answer: Oxygen reacts with metals at high temperatures to form metal oxides, releasing a large amount of heat which helps in cutting and welding metals.

What is the oxygen cycle?

• Answer: The series of processes by which oxygen is exchanged between the atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere.

Can oxygen be a liquid or solid under certain conditions?

• Answer: Yes, oxygen can be compressed and cooled to become a blue liquid or solid under cryogenic conditions.

What are some safety concerns with oxygen?

• Answer: High concentrations of oxygen can promote rapid combustion and are a fire hazard.

What are reactive oxygen species?

• Answer: Molecules formed by the incomplete one-electron reduction of oxygen, which include free radicals known to damage cellular components.

Why is oxygen used in water treatment processes?

• Answer: Oxygen is used to aerate and help decompose organic materials in wastewater.

How does oxygen affect the environment when it is over-abundant?

• Answer: Excess oxygen can lead to increased corrosion and can also support the rapid combustion of materials.

What is the importance of oxygen in the ozone layer?

• Answer: Oxygen in the form of ozone (O3) absorbs and protects the Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

How is oxygen used in the food industry?

• Answer: Oxygen is used to improve shelf life and maintain the color of fresh meat.

How does the human body transport oxygen?

• Answer: Through hemoglobin in the red blood cells, which binds oxygen in the lungs and releases it throughout the body.

What role does oxygen play in aerobic respiration?

• Answer: Oxygen is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain, crucial for the production of ATP, the energy currency of the cell.

What are oxygen concentrators?

• Answer: Devices that concentrate oxygen from ambient air, commonly used for medical purposes in patients requiring respiratory assistance.

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

• Answer: A treatment method that involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized room to enhance the body’s natural healing processes.

What is the effect of oxygen on metals?

• Answer: Oxygen can cause metals to corrode or rust, especially in the presence of moisture.

How is oxygen administered in emergency medical situations?

• Answer: Via masks or nasal cannulas to ensure rapid increase of oxygen in the blood.

What is the role of oxygen in photosynthesis?

• Answer: Oxygen is produced as a byproduct of photosynthesis, which occurs when plants convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.

How is oxygen purity measured?

• Answer: Typically by gas chromatography or using a paramagnetic sensor.

Can oxygen be detected by smell or color?

• Answer: No, oxygen is colorless and odorless.

What are the implications of oxygen deficiency?

• Answer: Oxygen deficiency can lead to hypoxia, affecting body function and potentially leading to life-threatening conditions.

What precautions are necessary when handling liquid oxygen?

• Answer: Special insulated containers are required, and direct contact with skin must be avoided as it can cause severe frostbite.

How does oxygen impact athletic performance?

• Answer: Adequate oxygen levels are crucial for muscle performance and endurance during physical activities.

What is the significance of the discovery of oxygen?

• Answer: Oxygen’s discovery was crucial for understanding combustion, respiration, and the composition of the atmosphere.

Who discovered oxygen, and when?

• Answer: Oxygen was discovered by Joseph Priestley in 1774 and independently by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, though Priestley is generally credited with the discovery.