Exactly as the title asks.

Pure oxygen is generally represented as O2 yet oxygen is an element of the periodic table. Why is it O2 and not just O?

  • Hexagon
    8·
    10 months ago

    Wait until you find out the composition of the Earth’s crust and mantle

    (Spoiler: about 45% of them is oxygen)

    • Chee_Koala@lemmy.world
      1·
      10 months ago

      Is most of the rest silicates? Saw a post about environmentally friendlier concrete made mostly from silicate rock, and I thought: Is that good? Is there so much of that type? 15m internet research gave me reason to believe that yes; most rock is silicate rock on earth. Your information about oxygen contents in crust and mantle indicates you might be able to confirm or deny this.

      • Hexagon
        2·
        10 months ago

        (Disclaimer: I’m not an expert, I just googled a little bit before posting that message. Fact-checking is welcome.)

        “Is most of the rest silicates?” The question is ill-posed, because it mixes elements with compounds. Specifically, silicates contain oxygen so they can’t be counted separately.

        If we go by elements, we already said that oxygen is the most abundant. The rest of the crust is mostly silicon (28%), aluminium (8.2%), iron (5.6%) and more stuff. The rest of the mantle is mostly magnesium (22.8%) and silicon (21.5%).

        But most elements don’t remain isolated, they react and form compounds. Those made primarily by silicon and oxygen are known as silicates, and they are indeed the most common type of rock in the crust and mantle.

        So yes, there is plenty of silicate material if one wants to use it for construction. I have no idea how good it is compared to current materials, however.