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Oxygen Facts for Kids

Oxygen Facts for Kids

  • Element Name: Oxygen
  • Element Symbol: O
  • Atomic Number: 8
  • Atomic Weight: 15.999 u
  • Group: 16
  • Period: 2
  • Block: p-block

26 Oxygen Facts For Kids

  1. Oxygen is one of the chemical elements on the periodic table.
  2. The symbol for oxygen on the periodic table is O.
  3. The atomic number for oxygen on the periodic table is 8.
  4. Oxygen’s standard atomic weight is 15.999 u.
  5. Oxygen is in group 16 (oxygen family) on the periodic table.
  6. Oxygen is a period 2 element on the periodic table.
  7. Oxygen is in the p-block on the periodic table.
  8. Swedish-German chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered oxygen in 1771.
  9. French chemist Antoine Lavoisier gave the chemical element oxygen its name in 1777.
  10. At standard temperature and pressure (STP) oxygen is a gas.
  11. Oxygen’s melting point is -361 °F and its boiling point is -297 °F.
  12. [He] 2s2 2p4 is the electron configuration for oxygen.
  13. Oxygen has 2, 6 electrons per shell.
  14. Chemists have discovered 18 known isotopes of oxygen.
  15. The three stable isotopes of oxygen are oxygen-16, oxygen-17, and oxygen-18.
  16. Oxygen is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas.
  17. Oxygen is a non-toxic, noncombustible, and inert gas.
  18. The third-most abundant chemical element found on Earth is oxygen.
  19. The third-most abundant chemical element found throughout our universe is oxygen.
  20. The second-most abundant chemical element in Earth’s atmosphere is oxygen (about 21%).
  21. The most abundant chemical element in the Earth’s crust is oxygen (about 46%).
  22. The process of photosynthesis by plants continuously renews oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere.
  23. The respiratory system for millions of lifeforms on Earth inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.
  24. Oxygen therapy is commonly used by medical professionals to increase oxygen levels in a patient’s body.
  25. The most familiar chemical compound is H2O, which is two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.
  26. More than half of all oxygen produced annually is used for smelting metal alloys, specifically steel.

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Oxygen Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on the chemical element oxygen. Below are three various pictures related to oxygen. These pictures should help you better understand oxygen, an element on the periodic table of elements.

Diagram of the electron shell for Oxygen

A diagram of the electron shell for oxygen.

A diagram of the oxygen cycle

A diagram of the oxygen cycle.

The composition of the Earth's air

A diagram of the Earth's air composition.

Oxygen Resources

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