| Origin of Name |
From the Greek words oxus, meaning acid and gennan, meaning to generate |
| Date of Discovery |
In 1772 in Sweden by Scheele,
in 1774 in London, England by Priestly and
in 1778 in France by Lavoisier |
| Discovered by |
Carl Wilhem
Scheele and Joseph Priestly
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier
See The Discovery of Oxygen |
| Common Compounds |
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| Interesting facts |
- It is the third most abundant chemical element in the universe after hydrogen and helium.
- It is the most common component of the earth's crust at 49%.
- It is one of the two major components of air.
- It is produced by plants during photosynthesis.
- It is necessary for animals to breathe.
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| Common Uses |
- Oxidizer
- Rocket propulsion
- Medicine
- Welding
- Oxygen sensors
- Oxygen masks
- Oxygen concentrators
- Steel production
- Used in many synthetic chemicals (ammonia and alcohols) and plastics
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