Oxygen: Fact Sheet: Description and uses

Carbon is present in the atmosphere in the form of a gas called carbon dioxide.

Atmospheric oxygen relationship to carbon

Oxygen is present as compounds in the atmosphere in trace quantities in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The earth's crustal rock is composed in large part of oxides of silicon (silica SiO2, found in granite and sand), (aluminum oxide Al2O3, in bauxite and corundum, iron (III) oxide Fe2O3, in hematite and rust) and other oxides of metals

Compounds of oxygn

Oxygen is an element, not a compound, and can be found on the periodic table with the atomic number eight.

Is oxygen an element or a compound?

Oxygen is generated as a byproduct of Photosynthesis, and it enters the atmosphere for other organisms to use. While there, carbon attaches to oxygen and carbon dioxide is formed, which means carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere again.

Oxygen as a byproduct

Oxygen is a highly soluble element that is critical to biological functions, notably respiration. It comprises about 16 to 21 percent of Earth's atmosphere, allowing it to be inhaled and converted to carbon dioxide to power the cells of aerobic organisms.

Oxygen's role in respiration

Most animals and plants on Earth require oxygen to survive. Generally, plants convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, and animals convert oxygen to carbon dioxide, during respiration.

Plants role in relation to human respiration

The carbon oxygen cycle is the process by which plants use carbon dioxide for respiration during photosynthesis and produce oxygen. During this process, carbon dioxide becomes part of the plant, and when the plant dies in a carbon-rich state it is possible for it to become a fossil fuel.

What is the carbon cycle?

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, oxygen accounts for "two-thirds of the human body and nine-tenths of water."

body composition in relation to oxygen

Due to its electronegativity oxygen forms chemical bonds with almost all other free elements at elevated temperatures to give corresponding oxides.

electronegativity of oxygen

The steel industry utilizes oxygen to transform iron into steel, as well as to improve the welding capability of materials.

industrial and medical applications of oxygen

In recent years, oxygen has gained application in the sewage treatment and industrial waste disposal.

industrial uses

Oxygen gas molecules are made of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded together, but it is still considered an element; air is a mixture of mainly oxygen and nitrogen, which makes it a compound.

is oxygen and element of compound?

The way that oxygen reacts with almost all elements has inspired a variety of medical and industrial applications.Oxygen is often given to medical patients to ease distressed respiration process

medical uses of oxygen

Oxygen is primarily found in two common forms, oxygen gas and in air.

natural occurrences of oxygen

As an element, oxygen builds the critical components of the biosphere: part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere

oxygen's relationship to biosphere

Oxygen is critical for the process of combustion and is extremely flammable, making oxygen as potentially destructive as it is necessary for life.

oxygen's role in combustion

Almost half of Earth's crust is made of oxygen compounds such as silicon.

percentage of earth's crust in relation to oxygen

During photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide from air and water molecules alongside the sun's rays to produce energy in the form of glucose. This takes place in the leaves, but is also a process adopted by algae and phytoplankton.

photosynthesis and carbon dioxide

When people burn fossil fuels, excess carbon is released into the atmosphere. As a result, levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are much higher than they used to be.

what is the danger to the atmosphere in burning fossil fuels