Oxygen


Oxygen and its compounds play a key role in many of the important processes of
life and industry. Oxygen in the biosphere is essential in the processes of
respiration and metabolism, the means by which animals derive the energy needed
to sustain life. Furthermore, oxygen is the most abundant element at the surface
of the Earth. In combined form it is found in ores, earths, rocks, and gemstones,
as well as in all living organisms. Oxygen is a gaseous chemical element in
Group VA of the periodic table. The chemical symbol for atomic oxygen is O, its
atomic number is 8, and its atomic weight is 15.9994. Elemental oxygen is known
principally in the gaseous form as the diatomic molecule, which makes up 20.95%
of the volume of dry air. Diatomic oxygen is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
Two 18th-century scientists share the credit for first isolating elemental
oxygen: Joseph PRIESTLEY (1733-1804), an English clergyman who was employed as a
literary companion to Lord Shelburne......

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Title: Oxygen
Approximate Word Count: 2406
Approximate Pages: 10 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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