Molecular oxygen (O2) is a diatomic molecule that is comprised of two oxygen atoms held together by a covalent bond. All organisms require oxygen for respiration. It’s also required for the burning of fossil fuels. Oxygen is in Group VI of the periodic table, so it has six valence electrons, two in the 2s subshell and four in the 2p subshell.
| Name of molecule | Oxygen |
| Bond Angles | 180 degrees |
| Molecular Geometry of Oxygen | Linear |
| The polarity of the O2 molecule | nonpolar |
| Oxygen Valence Electrons | 12 |
Table of Contents
Oxygen Molecule
- Oxygen is a non-metal element that is a gas at room temperature.
- Its molecule contains two oxygen atoms.
- Respiration, the process of transferring energy from glucose to cells, requires oxygen.
- Burning requires the presence of oxygen. However, burning occurs only when the mixture of fuel and oxygen is hot enough.
Important Points- Oxygen Valence Electrons
- The molar mass of oxygen is 15.9994 g/mol.
- The electronic configuration of the O2 atom (Z = 8) is 1s22s22p4
- There are two half-filled 2p orbitals in the valence shell.
- In the formation of the O2 molecule, one of the two half-filled 2p orbitals of each oxygen atom overlaps mutually along the internuclear axis to form a sigma bond.
- The remaining half-filled 2p orbitals undergo sidewise overlapping to form pi bonds.
- Therefore, two oxygen atoms are linked together through a double bond (one sigma and one pi bond)
Oxygen Molecular Geometry
Oxygen is a diatomic molecule with linear molecular geometry and bond angles of 180 degrees.
In the O2 molecule, both oxygen atoms have equal electronegativity and both atoms share equal ratios of bonded shared electrons and the overall molecule turns out to be nonpolar in nature.
Uses of O2
- Most living things need oxygen to survive. Oxygen helps organisms grow, reproduce, and turn food into energy.
- The production of steel depends upon oxygen, which is used in a blast furnace to turn carbon into carbon dioxide, which reduces the iron oxides to pure iron.
- Oxygen is used in torches for cutting and welding.
- Oxygen can be heated to over 5,000 degrees by reacting with hydrogen. This hot mixture can cut through or weld together most metallic substances.
Is oxygen polar or non-polar?
Oxygen is a nonpolar molecule.
In the Oxygen molecule both oxygen atoms equally share the 4 electrons that make up the double bond between them. Equal electronegativity means that there are not any partial charges for each element. Since neither atom pulls harder, it’s a non-polar covalent bond.
Oxygen Characteristics
- At room temperature, oxygen is a non-metal element that exists as a gas. It has two oxygen atoms in each of its molecules.
- Oxygen comprises about 50% of the earth’s crust.
- Respiration, the process of transferring energy from glucose to cells, requires oxygen.
- It is a gas at room temperature, and about 1/4 of the atmosphere air by weight consists of oxygen.
- Water contains nearly 89% of combined oxygen.
- Calcium carbonate, which occurs in chalk and limestone marble, contains 48% oxygen.
- Silica, which is found in flint quartz, contains more than 50% oxygen.
- It is sparingly soluble in water and does not react with water.
- It is paramagnetic in nature and has two oxidation states.
- Burning requires the presence of oxygen. However, burning occurs only when the mixture of fuel and oxygen is sufficiently heated.
Summary
To summarize everything in this article, the following are some important points:
- Oxygen Valence Electrons are six
- The bond angle is 180 degrees, and there are 12 valence electrons.
- O2 is a nonpolar molecule with linear geometry.
- There are four lone pairs of electrons in the oxygen molecule.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How to draw lewis structure of SO2?
SO2 Lewis structure would comprise two atoms of oxygen (O) and one sulfur atom. The number of valence electrons in both S and O atoms is six. The total number of SO2 valence electrons is 12.
- The molecular geometry of SO2 is a trigonal planner.
- The three pairs of bonding electrons are arranged in the plane at an angle of 120 degrees.
- The sulfur’s valence electron is = 6
- The valence electrons of oxygen in SO2 are 6
2. What are unbonded pairs of electrons?
Unbonded pairs of electrons are unshared valence electrons.
They are also called lone pairs of electrons.
They are found in the outermost electron shell of atoms and can be identified by drawing lewis structure.
3. What is SO2?
SO2 (Sulfur dioxide) is the entity of a bond between sulfur and oxygen atoms.
It is a colorless, toxic, inorganic gas with a pungent smell like nitric acid.
SO2 gives a weak acid solution when dissolved in water.
It is naturally found in small amounts in the atmosphere and is a primary precursor of sulfuric acid.
4. What are the uses of oxygen?
Production of steel, plastics, and textiles, brazing, welding, and cutting of steel and other metals, rocket propellant, oxygen therapy, and life support systems in airplanes, submarines, spaceflight, and diving are all examples of common applications of oxygen.
5. Is oxygen a greenhouse gas?
There are different types of greenhouse gases. The major ones are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and nitrous oxide. Most of the gases in the atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen, which cannot absorb heat and contribute to the greenhouse effect.
6. Does oxygen have 6 or 8 valence electrons?
Because oxygen is in Periodic Group VI, it possesses six valence electrons, two in the 2s subshell and four in the 2p subshell.
Because of its linear, symmetrical form, carbon dioxide (CO2) is nonpolar. The electron density is drawn equally from both sides by the two oxygen atoms in either direction of the carbon atom. CO2 is nonpolar in nature because there is no uneven sharing of valence electrons.
The gas sulfur dioxide (SO2) has a polar character. It’s a polar molecule because of the electronegativity mismatch between the sulfur (2.58) and oxygen (3.44) atoms. Additionally, SO2 has a bent shape due to the existence of unbonded electrons on the sulfur and oxygen atoms.