Oxygen Element: Study Guide
In what year was the element oxygen discovered?
1774
Until when was oxygen the atomic weight standard for other elements?
1961
How much of the mass of the human body is oxygen?
2/3
How much oxygen forms Earth's atmosphere?
21%
How many stable isotopes does it have?
3
Who came up with the name oxygen? Why did he call it this way?
Antoine Lavoisier came up with the name which means "acid forming" in Greek and he called it this way because he believed that Oxygen was necessary to form all acids.
What is its atomic number and its mass number?
Atomic number: 8, Mass number: 15.9994
Why isn't Scheele credited with the discovery of Oxygen if he wrote accounts of it three years before Priestly?
Because his accounts were not published until 1777.
Why is oxygen important to living organisms?
Because it is required in the process of respiration which is necessary for all living organisms to live.
What are two purposes of oxygen in chemical reactions?
Boost the process and oxidate unwanted compounds
Oxygen does not do what?
Burn
Name three characteristics of oxygen.
Colorless, tasteless, odorless
Which scientist produced oxygen before 1774 but failed to recognize it as such?
Cornelius Drebbel
To which group and period of the periodic table does it belong to?
Group:16, Period: 2
What burns off carbon impurities?
Hot oxygen air
How is oxygen used in industries?
It is used to cut, wield and melt metals.
Who is credited with having discovered oxygen?
Joseph Priestly
Oxygen is released by what?
Living things
What is the symbol for oxygen?
O
What do scientists use in order to study and compare the climate on Earth thousands of years ago?
Oxygen-16 and Oxygen-18 isotopes in fossils
