Production of Oxygen

Manufacture

Various methods have been used for the large scale production of oxygen, but at present the
two mostly used are the electrolysis of an aqueous solution of dilute sulphuric acid, and the
fractional distillation of Liquid Air.

Manufacture from liquefied air

Oxygen may be obtained from the atmosphere by the liquefaction and fractional distillation of
air. Liquid air is a mixture of liquid nitrogen, boiling point -196 degC, and liquid oxygen,
boiling point -183 degC. The nitrogen is more volatile (i.e. it has a lower boiling point) and
boils off first during evaporation. Because some oxygen evaporates with the nitrogen,
separation of the two gases is brought about by fractionation (i.e. by letting the evolved gas
mixture bubble through liquid air rich in oxygen in a tall rectifying column). The oxygen in
the gas mixture condenses and almost pure nitrogen gas leaves the top of the column, leaving
almost pure liquid oxygen which is then evaporated to give oxygen gas. The oxygen gas is
distributed as a compressed gas in high pressure cylinders.