Oxygen

media type="custom" key="10774628" Basic Facts
 * Name: Oxygen
 * Symbol: O
 * Atomic number: 8
 * Atomic weight: 15.9994
 * state of matter; gas
 * Density: 0.001429 grams per cubic centimeter
 * Color: The liquid and solid forms are a pale blue color and are strongly paramagnetic.

Oxygen’s discovery is mostly credited to the English chemist Joseph Priestley who obtained oxygen by heating a compound of red oxide of mercury and oxygen in 1774. Some argue that German-Swedish chemist Scheele had found it first but was not credited because he did not publish his findings until 1777.



What is oxygen used for? This element is used to sustain life. Our bodies are in constant need of oxygen so the presence of oxygen helps us live. Oxygen is bacteria, algae, and plants. The oxygen found in the water is obtained by fish so that they can breath. In fact, About

two thirds of the human body is oxygen because proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, contain oxygen, as well as inorganic compounds like animal shells, teeth, and bone is oxygen. Nine tenths of water is oxygen. Only a certain amount of plants can survive without oxygen. The reason it helps us survive is because the oxygen is taken in by blood so that the blood distributed throughout our bodies can help us work out muscles and organs. The element’s presence is also mandatory in order to burn anything. Just try to light a candle that has no source of oxygen. The flame would burn out the moment you took oxygen out of the picture. It’s also essential for decay. The oxygen takes the bacteria from dead organisms and works as a purifier by taking out anything harmful and turns it into harmfuless substances. This process is called oxidation.

Oxygen is found in the atmosphere.Ozone is another form of oxygen and its important because this is what helps prevent harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun from reaching the earth's surface. It is also the third most abundant element found in the sun and the most abundant in the earth’s crust. The earth’s crust is largely made up of oxides of silicon (silica SiO2, found in granite and sand), aluminium (aluminium oxide, in bauxite and corundum), iron (iron(III) oxide, in hematite and rust) and other metals.Oxygen, undercertainconditions, is responsible for the bright red and yellow-green colors of the Aurora

The name oxygen derived from the Greek oxys for "acid" and genes for "forming", because the French chemist Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier originally thought that oxygen was an acid producer. In his experiment, by burning phosphorus and sulfur and dissolving them in water, he was able to produce acids.

Sources

Alchin, L. K. "What Is Oxygen?" //Interactive Periodic Table//. Alchin, L.K, 1 Mar. 2001. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. [].

"ELEMENT: OXYGEN." //RADIOCHEMISTRY SOCIETY - Specialized Courses in Radiochemistry//. Radiochemistry Society, 2003. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. [].

Winter, Mark J. "Oxygen Essential Information." //WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements//. [The University of Sheffield and WebElements Ltd, UK. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. [].

World, Book. "Oxygen." //The World Book: Year Book 2008.// 14th ed. Vol. N-O. Chicago: Lippy, Charles H., 2008. Print.

p.s. This wikispace does not allow the use of indentation or spaces so I have tried to correctly site the source but technology failed me.