Breathe deep: Oxygen Trivia Quiz

Answer: 8

Oxygen is the 8th element in the periodic table. Most oxygen nuclei have 8 neutrons as well, making oxygen 16 by far the most common isotope although oxygen 17 and 18 are stable as well. Oxygen 16 is favored by stellar element synthesis as its nucleus consists of four alpha particles.

Answer: 18th century CE

In spite of its importance for life and fires, oxygen was only identified as an element in 1771, by Carl Scheele, and named six years later by Antoine Lavoisier. Prior to its discovery, the theory of fire mostly revolved around a substance called phlogiston which was said to be released during burning as most solids burn to ash weighing less than the original substance.

Answer: Angled, similar to a water molecule

Ozone is much more reactive than the normal form of oxygen because the atoms cannot fully form the two bonds that represent the most stable configuration of oxygen. While the triangular ring could yield this bond configuration, it is unstable because it would bring the positively charged nuclei too close together.

The actual molecular configuration is angled and has "one and a half" bonds, stronger than single but weaker than double. The electrons are shifted towards the outer two atoms, leaving a positive charge on the central one.

The angle formed is slightly wider than the one in a water molecule - 116.8 degrees compared to 104.5.

Answer: Approximately 65%

Yes, almost two thirds of a human is pure oxygen. This number shouldn't come as much of a surprise when you consider that 60% of the body is water and eight ninths of that is oxygen (an oxygen atom is 16 times heavier than hydrogen). So that alone contributes around 53% to which you need to add the oxygen from the organic molecules as well as that of the calcium carbonate (which is 48% oxygen) making up our bones.

Answer: Silicon dioxide (quartz)

Almost all metals and metalloids in the earth's crust exist primarily as oxides. The most common of these is silicon dioxide, making up almost half of the total. Pure, crystalline silicon dioxide is known as quartz, but you will also find it is as a component in granite as well as, of course, in most sands. If you know of a place with high corundum concentrations, please let me know and I'll take it off you: corundum is better known as sapphires and rubies. Most naturally found aluminum oxide, however, takes the form of bauxite.

Answer: Fluorine

Oxygen is the second most electronegative element although chlorine comes very close and there are a number of different chlorine oxides. Fluorine is the only even more electronegative element and thus, when it reacts with oxygen, the result is OF2 and - oxygen fluoride, with oxygen having a positive (+2) valence.

Answer: Fractionated distillation of air

While in a laboratory setting, electrolysis of water is a good way to generate some oxygen, the preferred, and most economical, large-scale method to extract and purify any component of air is to cool it to around 95K (ca. -180°C) and then distil it at these low temperatures much like a whiskey distillery separates alcohol from water.

In some cases, the process is conducted at higher pressures, allowing it to run at higher temperatures and resulting in already pressurized oxygen for transport.

Answer: Redox reactions can occur without oxygen present

In early chemical usage, the word oxidation always meant a reaction with oxygen while a reduction meant the removal of oxygen. However this is not true any more: oxidation is the removal of electrons from an element, bringing it to a higher valence or oxidation state while reduction involves adding of electrons and lowering the oxidation state.

The reaction between copper chloride and elemental iron (in a suitable oxygen-free solvent such as ammonia) will yield iron chloride and copper. The iron is oxidized while the copper is reduced in this reaction.

Answer: Two of the 2p electrons

To answer this, the best way is to look at the nearest noble gas configuration, which is neon's 1s2 2s2p6. Oxygen is missing two 2p electrons towards that configuration, while everything else is paired. (Oxygen could also theoretically enter the +6 configuration of helium, but its electronegativity is and ionization energies are too high for such a state to happen in practice.

Heavier elements such as polonium, the heaviest naturally occurring element in the oxygen group, can exhibit the +6 state.)

Answer: It means "acid builder", but there are acids not containing oxygen

The word "oxygen" is derived from "oxys" (acid) and "gen" (builder) as it was initially thought to be the most important component of all acids. However, this has turned out to be untrue as there are many oxygen-free acids such as hydrochloric acid (HCl). The element common to all acids (by the Bronsted definition) is hydrogen.

The other three statements imply wrong meanings of the word, but the statements are true: You can burn combustibles in a pure fluorine or chlorine atmosphere, the 21% figure is roughly accurate and there are many bacteria that can exist without free oxygen - although, of course, they still have oxygen in their cells in bound form.