Oxygen (O)
"Meet 'Oxy-Gen,' the invisible powerhouse who fuels every breath you take and ignites the flames of industry and stars! Without this unsung hero, life as we know it simply wouldn't exist."
A memorable persona to anchor O in your mind.
1.429
Grams per cm³
-218.79
Celsius (°C)
152
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
It's the vital ingredient in every single breath you take, keeping you alive and buzzing with energy.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1774
Discovered By
Carl Wilhelm Scheele & Joseph Priestley
Origin of Name
"The name comes from the Greek ''oxy genes'', meaning acid forming."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
15.999 u
Standard State
gas
Boiling Point
-182.962°C
Electron Configuration
[He] 2s22p4
1st Ionization Energy
13.618 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"You can't see it, smell it, or taste it as a gas, but pure liquid oxygen glows with a pale blue hue!"
Did You Know?
Earth's MVP! Oxygen is the *most common element* by mass in Earth's crust (around 46%) and the second most abundant element in our atmosphere (about 21% by volume)!
Breath It In! You only use about 5% of the oxygen you inhale. The rest? You just breathe it back out along with CO2!
Dynamic Duo Discovery! Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Joseph Priestley *independently* discovered oxygen in the 1770s, though Priestley usually gets more credit for publishing first!
Misleading Name! Its name, given by Antoine Lavoisier, means "acid-former" in Greek, based on a mistaken belief that it was essential for all acids. Turns out, he was only partially right!