A single oxygen atom has 6 valence electrons and has a charge of -2. It is a Chalcogen, meaning it belongs to group 16 of the periodic table. It has an atomic number of 8 because it has 8 protons. Oxygen is the 8th element on the periodic table and has the symbol O. Oxygen is the most abundant element in the human body by mass.Seawater only contains about 82% as much oxygen as freshwater. Freshwater contains more oxygen per liter than seawater.Singular oxygen atoms are very rare in nature–they are in fact, diatomic! Oxygen atoms are almost always bonded to another oxygen atom, or to some other element.Solid oxygen is very difficult to produce because it has such a low melting point.This is how oxygen creates the aurora borealis! When oxygen’s outer electrons jump to an excited state, they produce bright colors such as purple and green.Natural oxygen has three isotopes, but oxygen-16 is most abundant, responsible for approximately 99.7% of the element as it is found in nature.This allowed insects to grow to be near 10x their modern size! During the carboniferous period 350 million years ago, oxygen levels in the atmosphere were 35%.Oxygen used to be the atomic weight standard before it was replaced with carbon-12 in 1961.Only anaerobic organisms can survive without oxygen. This includes plants, animals, and fungi. All aerobic living organisms need oxygen to survive and thrive.Ten Interesting and Fun Facts about Oxygen Most importantly, oxygen is responsible for so many vital biological processes, life on earth would not exist without its abundance. Due to its highly reactive nature, oxygen unsurprisingly plays a vital role in both nature and industry. It has many applications such as in medicine and fuel combustion. Oxygen is a colorless, odorless gas, and is the third most abundant element both on earth and in the broader universe. It has a wide range of properties including paramagnetism and combustibility. Oxygen is one of the most common elements on earth and in the universe. The Element Oxygen Introduction to Oxygen
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