Guide To Oxygen For Energy

By Lucia Weeks


In elemental state, oxygen is a gas in the atmosphere and is dissolved in water. The amount of relatively reactive oxygen elemental remains constant only in long run, because O2 producing plants replace much as of aerobic breathing creatures as well as other combustion processes is used again (oxygen for energy). Without this biological cycle O2 would only occur in compounds, ie elemental O2 exists in a dynamic equilibrium.

An older method is based on chemical reactions barium oxide method. It is uneconomical due to high energy costs. For barium oxide is heated under air at 500 degrees C., the barium forms. When heated to 700 degrees C recorded earlier O2 is released by thermolysis again. Prior to development of Linde process, this method was the only way to pure O2 present.

Oxygen is not created in primordial nucleosynthesis, but is produced in relatively large amounts in giant stars by helium burning. It is first formed from three helium nuclei 12C (Triple-alpha process), which subsequently merged with another helium nucleus to 16O. 18O is formed by fusion of 4He with a 14N nucleus.

This promoted the combustion gas and Scheele called it "fire air" or the origin. He found that air consists of O2 and this "foul air". Completely independent, was two years later produced by heating mercuric oxide O2 gas, the Englishman Joseph Priestley. The Briton published his findings in 1774, Scheele published his book Chemical Observations of air and the fire but only in 1777.

With the discovery of O2 its meaning was not clear during combustion. The Frenchman Antoine Lavoisier found in his experiments that during combustion does not escape phlogiston, but O2 is bound. By weighing it demonstrated that a substance after combustion was not easier but harder. This was caused by the additional weight of ingested during the combustion process oxygen.

Since these orbitals are completely filled with electrons, they do not contribute to binding. From the 2p orbitals are a total of six molecular orbitals with different energy level. The orbitals have this same energy. Electrons are distributed in molecular orbitals, it comes to following breakdown of eight p-electrons. These two valence electrons determine the properties of O2 molecule. O2 has allowed a total of three and energetically accessible quantum states for the distribution of these electrons.

O2 is the most abundant and widespread element on earth. It occurs both in atmosphere and in lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. O2 has a mass fraction of 50.5% of earth's crust (up to 16 km depth, including hydro and atmosphere). In air, his mass fraction is 23,16% (by volume: 20.95%), the water 88.8% (the sea water but only 86%, since there large amounts salts, eg. As sodium chloride are dissolved).

The separation takes place initially at 5-6 bar in so-called medium pressure column. The resulting oxygen-enriched liquid is then (pressure about 0.5 bar) further separated in low pressure column. Through the liquid O2 of low pressure column, gaseous nitrogen of high pressure column is passed. It liquefies this and heated with the votes condensation heat the liquid. The more volatile nitrogen is discharged and preferably remains purified liquid oxygen. This still contains the noble gases krypton and xenon, which are separated in a separate column.




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