I heard once that Oxygen (O2) is one of the most corrosive substances in the universe. Any truth to this?
Is it true that Oxygen is what destroys both the hammer and the nail. If this is true, is (O2) the thing that makes our very own bodies tissue become weak the more we are exposed to it [O2]? ….Is there a plausible, serious way to reduce or avoid exposure to this while still being able maintain a normal existence?
Since you need it to breathe, sorry, but you’re screwed without it.
Corrosion of any material is known as “oxidation.” The true name for rust as we see it every day on iron and steel items is ferrous oxide. or FeO2. However, the body does need oxygen to live, and there is no plausible way to reduce the amount of oxygen in the air we breath, then, no, it is as much a part of life as death is.
It’s true, oxygen is very corrosive. We should be thankful that we do not have to breathe pure oxygen. Our air is about 80% nitrogen, which dilutes the oxygen down to a safe level. I do not recommend to anybody that they try to wean themselves from their oxygen addiction.
Ozone (O3) or monatomic oxygen (O1) are very dangerous and should not be breathed; but we probably won’t have to worry about running into those at sea level.
Liquid oxygen will cause things to rust or corrode rapidly, in fact, some materials will corrode so rapidly in liquid oxygen that even though it is super cold, they will liberate enough heat to spontaneously burst into flames! If you get any liquid oxygen on your skin, it will first freeze you then chemically burn you, even if you do not burn with a visible flame.
Eat anti-oxidants. Exercise.
By chemistry O2 is indeed a very corrosive substance but it needs water to be corrosive. So by your definition both O2 and water are poisons for mankind. Well… it just can’t be. Trees take in Co2 and give out O2. Would you then say that trees kill us as they give out O2.
yeah… i wouldnt try to avoid oxygen exposure if i were you…
and no, oxygen is need for the electron transport chain which is how your body gets most of its energy. your body can make some energy without O2, but you couldnt sustain yourself off of anaerobic metabolism. life has been around for billions of years with oxygen. i wouldnt be too worried about this issue….
Oxygen, like a lot of substances our body needs, can be harmful in large quantities. This is partly due to its highly electromagnetic and hydrophyllic nature. As any patient that has been on oxygen therapy can tell you, your body is “set” to use a certain percentage of oxygen in the air we breathe. If we get used to a higher amount, and then this amount is depreived, we feel light-headed and weak. This is because at higher levels of oxygen, our lungs become accustomed to a smaller amount of effort to extract and use the oxygen from the air.
Oxygen’s corrosive nature is not found in the O2 form however, but the O and O3 (ozone) forms. This is because oxygen is most stable in the O2 form. This is where oxygen “wants” to be. The O3 and O forms are unstable, and prone to reactions.
“Oxygen can be toxic at elevated partial pressures (i.e. high relative concentrations). This is important in some forms of scuba diving, such as with a rebreather.
Certain derivatives of oxygen, such as ozone (O3), singlet oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals and superoxide, are also highly toxic. The body has developed mechanisms to protect against these toxic compounds. For instance, the naturally-occurring glutathione can act as an antioxidant, as can bilirubin which is normally a breakdown product of hemoglobin. To protect against the destructive nature of peroxides, nearly every organism on earth has developed some form of the enzyme catalase, which very quickly disproportionates peroxide into water and dioxygen.
Highly concentrated sources of oxygen promote rapid combustion and therefore are fire and explosion hazards in the presence of fuels. The fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew on a test launchpad spread so rapidly because the capsule was pressurized with pure oxygen as would be usual in an actual flight, but to maintain positive pressure in the capsule, this was at slightly more than atmospheric pressure instead of the 1/3 pressure that would be used in flight. (See partial pressure.) Similar hazards also apply to compounds of oxygen with a high oxidative potential, such as chlorates, perchlorates, and dichromates; they also can often cause chemical burns.
Oxygen derivatives are prone to form free radicals, especially in metabolic processes. Because they can cause severe damage to cells and their DNA, they form part of theories of carcinogenesis and aging.” (Wikipedia 2006)
“Oxygen is the most abundant element on this planet. The earth’s crust is 46.6% oxygen by weight, the oceans are 86% oxygen by weight, and the atmosphere is 21% oxygen by volume. The name oxygen comes from the Greek stems oxys, “acid,” and gennan, “to form or generate.” Thus, oxygen literally means “acid former.” This name was introduced by Lavoisier, who noticed that compounds rich in oxygen, such as SO2 and P4O10, dissolve in water to give acids.
“Fluorine is the only element that is more electronegative than oxygen. As a result, oxygen gains electrons in virtually all its chemical reactions. Each O2 molecule must gain four electrons to satisfy the octets of the two oxygen atoms.” (“Chemistry of Oxygen” – Bodner Research Group)