Characteristics of O2
O2 consists of two molecules of oxygen bound together. Oxygen molecules naturally bond together in these two-molecule units, also known as diatoms, when temperature and pressure conditions remain standard. Almost all unbound oxygen molecules are actually O2, known as natural atmospheric oxygen. These diatoms form dioxygen gas, which, has the chemical formula of O2. This formula has many of the same characteristics as oxygen.
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Physical Characteristics
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Dioxygen and oxygen usually only occur in the form of gas. This gas has no smell and no taste. It also has no color, making it invisible. Since it's a gas, you cannot feel it either, although it has a little more density than air. O2 has a molecular weight of 31.9988. Dioxygen allows most of Earth's creatures to breathe. It also dissolves slightly into water, allowing underwater organisms to absorb oxygen. O2 aids in combustion, allowing for fires. In concentrated form, it can be extremely dangerous as a combustion or fire hazard. Concentrated dioxygen can also be toxic when inhaled over a period of time. It can cause damage to the tissues of the body.
Liquid and Freezing Temperature Characteristics
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O2 requires extremely low temperatures to change from a gas to a liquid or a solid. Dioxygen transforms into a blue liquid at minus 297 degrees Fahrenheit, and it freezes at -minus 362 degrees Fahrenheit. Frozen oxygen is also light or sky blue in color. This solid form of oxygen has a cubic crystal structure. External magnetic fields attract both liquid and solid oxygen strongly -- a characteristic also known as paramagneticism. Due to its high concentration, liquid oxygen is also much more dangerous than gaseous oxygen in the realm of combustion.
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Occurrence
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Oxygen, including its dioxygen form, is one of the most common gases on the planet. It makes up about 47 percent of the Earth's crust, making it the most common element there. It's also the second-most-common element in the atmosphere, making up about 21 percent of the atmosphere.
Bonds with Other Elements
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Dioxygen, like oxygen, bonds readily to other elements. In fact, using ionic and covalent bonds to bond to metals and nonmetals, respectively, O2 can bond easily to almost any other element. These bonds are chemical bonds, which occur due to O2's elctronegativity. This characteristic allows O2 to form a number of different compounds, such as salts, other gases, oxygenated radicals and acids.
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References
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