Oxygen Lab Report

Chemical Report

The chemical I will be writing this report on is oxygen. The name oxygen comes from the Greek word “oxygens,” which means “acid producer”. Dictionary.com defines oxygen as “a colorless, odorless, gaseous element constituting about one-fifth of the volume of the atmosphere and present in a combined state in nature.”
Oxygen has many uses today. First, oxygen is used by people, plants, and animals in the respiration process. Tanks of oxygen are used in the healthcare field to treat those who suffer from breathing problems. Oxygen is used as life support in activities such as scuba diving, astronauts use it as well in order to breathe when going into space. In the industry world, the majority of oxygen is used in manufacturing steel.
In the form dioxygen, O2, 20.9 mole percent of the atmosphere, 23 percent of air, 89 percent of water and about 46 percent of crustal rock. It is the most abundant element on Earth. 60 percent of the human body is comprised of oxygen and the element is essential for survival. Without oxygen, life would not be able to sustainable.
Oxygen was first discovered in 1774 by the British chemist Joseph Priestley when he decomposed mercury II oxide into its elements by heating it. The reaction appears like so: 2HgO(s)  2Hg(l) + O2(s). A Swedish chemist, Karl Wilhelm Scheel also discovered oxygen when he heated manganese dioxide with concentrated sulfuric acid. French chemist Antione Laurent Lavoisier proved oxygen was an elemental gas through experiments on combustion. Lavoisier also gave oxygen its name. Two isotopes of oxygen with mass numbers of 17 and 18 were discovered in 1929 by W.F. Giaque and H.L. Johnston. The chemical name for oxygen is simply oxygen. Common names for oxygen include: oxygen. The chemical formula of oxygen is: O and the chemical structure for oxygen is: Oxygen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas located in group VIA of the periodic table, these elements are known as the Chalcogens.
Oxygen is slightly denser than air, is a poor conductor of heat and electricity and is slightly soluble in water. Oxygen is several times more soluble in alcohol than in water. Oxygen supports combustion but does not burn. Oxygen has an atomic number of eight (8) and an atomic mass of 15.9994 mol/g. Oxygen melts at -218.79º C and boils at -182.95º C. The density of oxygen is 1.429 g/L. Oxygen has a critical temperature of -118º C, this means oxygen can be liquefied once the gas is cooled it can be compressed. The liquid and solid forms of oxygen are both pale blue in color. The atomic number of eight (8) means the chemical contains eight (8) protons, electrons and neutrons. Oxygen is classified as a nonmetal, which has two energy levels. Oxygen is also slightly
magnetic. Today, there are only three allotropic forms of oxygen known today. There is ordinary oxygen, this contains two atoms per molecule. The formula is O2. Oxygen is slightly reactive and combines with most elements in order to form oxides. Ozone, contains three atoms per molecule. The formula for ozone is O3. Ozone is formed when oxygen in the air is subjected to an electrical discharge, like a bolt of lightning for example. Ozone absorbs a great deal of the ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ozone is a colorless gas containing a strong, irritating odor. There is also O4, tetraoxide, which contains four atoms per molecule. O4 is in a pale blue, nonmagnetic form, it can be easily broken down into ordinary oxygen. Oxygen combines with most elements, except lower-atomic-weight noble gases, to form oxides. An oxide is a compound formed by the union of oxygen with another element. Hydrogen combines with oxygen to form hydrogen oxide which is known as water, H2O. Many oxides occur in nature, H2O and CO2 being very common ones. Oxygen is able to be used over and over again through the oxygen cycle. When plants take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, water molecules are split and oxygen is released into the atmosphere. The reaction for photosynthesis is: 6CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6O2. Oxygen can also be produced commercially by the fractional distillation of liquid air. During this process, air is liquefied and allowed to evaporate. The nitrogen in the liquid air is more volatile and boils off, leaving oxygen behind. Oxygen can also be prepared in a laboratory setting using salts such as potassium chlorate, KClO3, barium peroxide and sodium peroxide. The reaction formula using potassium chlorate is: 2KClO3(s)  2KCl(s) + 3O2(g). Hydrogen peroxide can be decomposed to produce oxygen with the reaction formula: 2H2O2(aq)  2H2O(l) + O2(g). Oxygen can also be prepared by the electrolysis of water. In this process, a direct current of electricity is passed through the water. As the current flows, oxygen gas collects at the positive terminal, while hydrogen collects at the negative terminal. The electron configuration for oxygen is 1s22s22p4 with O2 being the most stable ion. Diatomic oxygen, O2, is paramagnetic. This means it is attracted to the magnetic source.