“Copii 0 GlenseMeGrn Ha dvono The Mra Cope Be Oxygen: More Than Thin Air ‘xygen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas Yet, it is essential to the existence of most life ‘on Earth. Oxygen makes up about 21 percent of Earth’s atmosphere by volume and about 23 percent of the atmosphere by weight. It is the most abundant element in the crust and the eighth-most-abundant element in the universe. Oxygen is present in com- bination with other elements on Earth in the form of water, metallic oxides, and silicates. It also occurs in Jarge amounts on the Moon, but not in the free state. Instead, itis found in compounds in the rocks that make up Earth's natural satellite. When space travel becomes more common place, it may become economical to mine the lunar surface for oxygen. Oxygen is a highly reactive element and forms strong bonds with itself and with atoms of most other elements. Thus, oxygen does not occur on Earth in the form of individual atoms. In air, oxygen exists as molecules, each made up of two oxygen atoms bonded together. Oxygen supports ‘combustion, In combustion reactions, substances ‘combine with the oxygen to form new compounds, giving off energy. Chemical reactions with oxygen can be as rapid and violent as an explosion or as slow and quiet as the rusting of iron. ‘Although oxygen is now abundant in the atmo- sphere, it is a relative latecomer there as shown in Figure 1. The early atmosphere probably contained a small amount of oxygen released from water that was irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) rays from the Sun. However, a large concentration of oxygen was not available until life evolved. Some cells devel- ‘oped the ability to acquire hydrogen from water, releasing the oxygen in the process. The oxygen was ‘a chemical pollutant in the atmosphere, probably poisoning many early forms of life that were not adapted to it. Much of the newly released oxygen combined with iron in the oceans and rocks, produc- ing huge deposits of red iron ore that clearly mark the time period when the change occurred. One form of oxygen, called ozone (O,), plays an important role in the environmental health of the planet. Ozone is present as a layer in the upper atmosphere. The ozone layer is a thin band located between 25 and 35 km above the surface of Earth. In the upper atmosphere, oxygen molecules absorb UY radiation from the sun and break apart into two oxygen atoms. The single oxygen atoms then form bonds with diatomic oxygen molecules, form- ing ozone molecules. These new molecules absor’y more UV radiation at slightly different wavelengths. than the oxygen. The absorption of damaging solar radiation by ozone helps to protect the living organ- isms on the planet surface below. The absorption of UV by this gaseous substance is so efficient that at wavelengths near 250 nm in the UV range, only 1 part in 10® of the incoming solar radiation penetrates the ozone layer. Much research is being conducted eo ‘Atmospheric °° -) ee 20 4 pressure) Other gases Nitrogen Oxygen ° 1 T T 45 40 35 30 25 20 18 10 0.5 Present ‘Age (in billions of years) ‘day Figure 1 Oxygen Availability on Earthto determine the effects of chemical pollutants on the ozone layer because its destruction could lead to increases in health problems, including cataracts and skin cancer, Ozone also forms when an electrical discharge asses through oxygen gas, Consequently, this pun- gent, irritating blue gas can be detected near elec cal equipment and after lightning storms. The odor many people associate with “clean air” after a thun- derstorm is, in reality, that of ozone. Because ozone would be encountered in airplane cabins on com- mercial flights at altitudes above 15 km, the incom- ing air is passed through filters that decompose the zone to ordinary oxygen. Near Earth’s surface, ozone is a pollutant. Atmospheric ozone attacks the carbon-carbon double bonds in rubber and contrib- tutes to its weathering. Hence, many rubber- Containing products such as automobile tires and bicycle tires crack and deteriorate as a result of exposure to ozone. Raw gaseous air (Nz,0;,CO,) —> Large gjass chamber, with contents at high pressure and low temperature <——_ Distilation ‘One method of producing pure oxygen is to pass an electrical current through water, However, i process uses great amounts of energy and, as oe is very expensive, Because ati about 21 pereen oxygen, processes involving the retrieval of this as from air are most economical. Oxygen is sepa rated from the nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and trace ‘gases found in air by use of a process called frac- tional distillation, shown in Figure 2. The process relies on the fact that at a given pressure, different substances have different boiling points. Ordinary air is liquefied using high pressures and low tem- peratures. When heat is applied to the liquid air in a distillation column, each Gepgoph es ay at a different temperature and can be draw! separately and turned back to a liquid. The produc- tion of oxygen is most cost effective for very large oxygen plants that can produce 2000 metric tons or more a day. In Europe, an oxygen pipeline 956 km long serves France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Condenser (changes gas tase) column Reboiler to vaporize individual components ‘of iquetied air at ‘spectied temperatures Figure 2_ Basic Fractional Distillation Process Copy © GlencoeCope © Glesee Cer Hil cision The McCrw-Hil Corpnin, Oxygen is used in industry in chemical reac- tions for producing other chemicals, for welding, and for oxyacetylene and oxyhydrogen torches that can reach temperatures of almost 3500°C. The use of pure oxygen in welding improves efficiency and ‘makes cutting torches useful even underwater. Pure ‘oxygen has come to replace the old open-hearth furnaces that were once used in refining raw steel. Oxygen is introduced into molten iron and scrap, where it combines with carbon and other undesirable elements there, so the impurities can be removed, This new process is much faster than the hearth method. Liquid oxygen, a pale-blue liquid that forms at -185°C, is used to support combustion in liq fuel rockets, Small amounts of oxygen are produced for medical applications in hospitals and home-care situations. Some oxygen is also carried on board airplanes for emergencies at high altitudes, because the concentration of atmospheric oxygen available decreases as altitude increases. Many industrial processes produce large volumes of hot water. The hot water was once returned to the rivers of lakes from which the water was originally taken. That caused heating of the rivers and lakes. However, as temperature increases, the amount of oxygen in water decreases. The loss of oxygen in lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams was of concern because gaseous oxygen must be available to sup- port fishes and other organisms living in the water. In addition to the support of plant and animal life, enough additional oxygen must be available in the water to support the biological breakdown of the organisms after they die. The misuse of lakes and streams in many instances had almost fully depleted the dissolved oxygen available for life support and has given rise to “dead” lakes and streams. This con- dition is called thermal pollution, Today, industrial plants must restore the water they use to a tempera- ture very near the natural temperature of the original water system in order to preserve the oxygen content of the water system. 1. In what sense was oxygen a chemical pollutant in the early atmosphere of Earth? 2. How does the ozone layer protect life on Earth? 3, Describe how fractional distillation is used in the production of oxygen.4. How does the introduction of oxygen into molten iron and Capri © Olena McGee vision 0 The McCenr HilCompnig, a