Oxygen is what kind of molecule

Plants also use oxygen for cellular respiration. In a separate process — photosynthesis — plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen.

In low light, the photosynthesis rate is less than the respiration rate. In bright light, the photosynthesis rate is greater than the respiration rate and more oxygen is produced than used. The excess oxygen is released into the atmosphere. Words we use every day can have different meanings in science. In biology, cellular respiration refers to the chemical reactions in cells that release energy from food.

It is important to discuss words like respiration to avoid misconceptions. Oxygen, by itself, does not burn, but it is necessary for combustion. Oxygen is one of the three components of the fire triangle. Fuel and heat are the other two components. Heat generated by the fuel sustains the fire. As long as there is enough fuel and oxygen, a fire will continue to burn. Water-based fire extinguishers work by removing heat from the fire. Carbon dioxide and dry chemical extinguishers work by smothering the fire — cutting off the supply of oxygen.

Oxygen tents were once commonly used in oxygen supplementation, but have since been replaced mostly by the use of oxygen masks or nasal cannulas. Oxygen Concentrator : An oxygen concentrator for an emphysema patient. Hyperbaric high-pressure medicine uses special oxygen chambers to increase the partial pressure of O 2 around the patient and, when needed, the medical staff. Increased O 2 concentration in the lungs helps to displace carbon monoxide from the heme group of hemoglobin.

Oxygen gas is poisonous to the anaerobic bacteria that cause gas gangrene, so increasing its partial pressure helps kill them. Decompression sickness occurs in divers who decompress too quickly after a dive, resulting in bubbles of inert gas, mostly nitrogen and helium, forming in their blood. Increasing the pressure of O 2 as soon as possible is part of the treatment. These devices use nearly pure oxygen at about one third normal pressure, resulting in a normal blood partial pressure of O 2.

This trade-off of higher oxygen concentration for lower pressure is needed to maintain flexible spacesuits. Deeper diving requires significant dilution of O 2 with other gases, such as nitrogen or helium, to help prevent oxygen toxicity. People who climb mountains or fly in non-pressurized fixed-wing aircrafts sometimes have supplemental O 2 supplies. Passengers traveling in pressurized commercial airplanes have an emergency supply of O 2 automatically supplied to them in case of cabin depressurization.

Sudden cabin pressure loss activates chemical oxygen generators above each seat, causing oxygen masks to drop. A steady stream of oxygen gas is then produced by the exothermic reaction. Ozone O 3 , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope O 2 , breaking down with a half life of about half an hour in the lower atmosphere to O 2.

Ozone is diamagnetic, which means that its electrons are all paired. In contrast, O 2 is paramagnetic, containing two unpaired electrons. Resonance Structures of Ozone : The two resonance structures of O 3 are shown. Ozone is formed from dioxygen by the action of ultraviolet light and also atmospheric electrical discharges.

In total, ozone makes up only 0. In standard conditions, ozone is a pale blue gas that condenses at progressively cryogenic temperatures to a dark blue liquid and finally a violet-black solid.

Ozone is a powerful oxidant far more so than dioxygen and has many industrial and consumer applications related to oxidation. However, this same high oxidizing potential causes ozone to damage mucus and respiratory tissues in animals as well as tissues in plants, when it exists in concentrations above parts per billion.

This makes ozone a potent respiratory hazard and pollutant near ground level. However, the so-called ozone layer a portion of the stratosphere with a higher concentration of ozone, from two to eight ppm is beneficial.

Structure of Ozone : Ozone is a triatomic molecule with no unpaired electrons and a bent molecular shape. The bond lengths and angle formed by the three O atoms are shown. Ozone is slightly soluble in water and much more soluble in inert nonpolar solvents such as carbon tetrachloride or fluorocarbons, where it forms a blue solution.

It is dangerous to allow this liquid to warm to its boiling point because both concentrated gaseous ozone and liquid ozone can detonate. It is also unstable at high concentrations, decaying to ordinary diatomic oxygen with a half-life of about half an hour in atmospheric conditions :. Ozone will oxidize most metals except gold, platinum, and iridium to oxides of the metals in their highest oxidation state. Alkenes can be oxidatively cleaved by ozone in a process called ozonolysis, giving alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids, depending on the second step of the workup.

Ozonolysis : The cleavage of carbon-carbon double bonds by O 3 is shown in this figure. Usually, ozonolysis is carried out in a solution of dichloromethane at a temperature of o C. After a sequence of cleavage and rearrangement, an organic ozonide is formed. With reductive workup e. With oxidative workup e.

Ozone, along with reactive forms of oxygen such as superoxide, singlet oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, and hypochlorite ions, is naturally produced by white blood cells and other biological systems such as the roots of marigolds as a means of destroying foreign bodies. Ozone reacts directly with organic double bonds.

When ozone breaks down to dioxygen, it produces oxygen free radicals, which are highly reactive and capable of damaging many organic molecules. Moreover, it is believed that the powerful oxidizing properties of ozone may be a contributing factor of inflammation.

The cause-and-effect relationship of how the ozone is created in the body and what it does is still under consideration and still subject to various interpretations, since other body chemical processes can trigger some of the same reactions. Privacy Policy.

Skip to main content. Nonmetallic Elements. Search for:. Oxygen Properties of Oxygen Oxygen is a highly reactive nonmetallic element; it is a strong oxidizing agent with high electronegativity and forms O 2 at Standard Temperature and Pressure STP. Learning Objectives Review the properties of oxygen. Key Takeaways Key Points At standard temperature and pressure STP , two atoms of the element bind to form dioxygen, a colorless, odorless, tasteless diatomic gas with the formula O 2.

As such, it readily forms compounds notably oxides with almost all other elements. Oxygen is a chemical element with an atomic number of 8 it has eight protons in its nucleus. Oxygen forms a chemical compound O 2 of two atoms which is a colorless gas at normal temperatures and pressures.

This hasn't always been the case, though. Early in our planet's history, the atmosphere had almost no oxygen. Microbes that produce their food via photosynthesis generate oxygen as a by-product.