Pages

Abcs Of Oxygen For Energy

By Lucia Weeks


In elemental state, oxygen is a gas in the atmosphere and is dissolved in water. The amount of relatively reactive oxygen elemental remains constant only in long run, because O2 producing plants replace much as of aerobic breathing creatures as well as other combustion processes is used again (oxygen for energy). Without this biological cycle O2 would only occur in compounds, ie elemental O2 exists in a dynamic equilibrium.

Almost all living organisms need O2 to live (typically give plants during photosynthesis but more O2 from than they consume). You see him mostly by breathing in air, or by absorption of water (dissolved oxygen). In high concentrations, however, it is toxic to most living things.The metastable, high-energy and reactive allotrope of three O2 atoms (O3) is called ozone. Atomic oxygen, ie O2 in form of free, single O2 atoms, is stable before only under extreme conditions, such as in vacuum of space or in hot stellar atmospheres. However, it has a significant meaning as a reactive intermediate in many reactions of atmospheric chemistry.

Oxygen is not created in primordial nucleosynthesis, but is produced in relatively large amounts in giant stars by helium burning. It is first formed from three helium nuclei 12C (Triple-alpha process), which subsequently merged with another helium nucleus to 16O. 18O is formed by fusion of 4He with a 14N nucleus.

This promoted the combustion gas and Scheele called it "fire air" or the origin. He found that air consists of O2 and this "foul air". Completely independent, was two years later produced by heating mercuric oxide O2 gas, the Englishman Joseph Priestley. The Briton published his findings in 1774, Scheele published his book Chemical Observations of air and the fire but only in 1777.

With the discovery of O2 its meaning was not clear during combustion. The Frenchman Antoine Lavoisier found in his experiments that during combustion does not escape phlogiston, but O2 is bound. By weighing it demonstrated that a substance after combustion was not easier but harder. This was caused by the additional weight of ingested during the combustion process oxygen.

Initially, the O2 has been accepted as a basic component for the formation of acids. Therefore, the term Oxygenium (acidifier) 1779 proposed by Lavoisier oxygen. In fact, most inorganic acids in solution of non-metal oxides in O2 water. The halogens, such as chlorine and bromine, is therefore held for a long time oxides of unknown elements. Only later was recognized that hydrogen is responsible for the acid character.

The actual separation of nitrogen and O2 by distillation in two distillation columns with different pressures. The distillation is carried out in counter-current principle, that is by the condensation heat of evaporated gas flows upward, condensed liquid drips down. Since O2 has a higher boiling point than nitrogen, it condenses readily and collects at the bottom so, nitrogen at the top of column.

Usually takes O2 in its compounds, and in earth before. In earth's crust almost all minerals and rocks are so well oxygenated water next. Among the most important minerals include oxygen-containing silicates such as feldspars, mica and Olivine, carbonates such as calcium carbonate in limestone and oxides such as silica as quartz.




About the Author: