Oxygen an Element of Usefulness and Danger
Oxygen is a colorless, odorless gas. It is the most abundant chemical element found in air, sea and land.
The gas form of oxygen is used by humans to breath, and can also be used for welding and cutting. When oxygen is used for welding it is mixed with acetylene, propylene or propane to provide the high temperatures needed for welding and cutting. Oxygen is an accelerant and will cause anything flammable to burn hotter and faster. For example a man was working in a welding shop he had just finished a project and was going to take a smoke break. His clothes had picked up a lot of dust and dirt from working, so taking his welding torch with just the oxygen turned on he blew the dirt off his clothes and went out for his break. When he struck the match his clothes caught on fire. The man received third degree burns on his hands, face and upper body. The oxygen gas had clung to his clothes causing the flame from the match to explode.
The second form of oxygen is liquid oxygen, which becomes a liquid when its temperature reaches negative 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Liquid oxygen is used to refill oxygen storage containers outside institutions where there is a need for large volumes of pure oxygen gas. Liquid oxygen goes through a heating process to be converted into gas before being used in the institutions. When transporting liquid oxygen care and caution should be observed. Being in a hurry can lead to major problems as one young man found out. It was late in the day and he had just picked up a cylinder of liquid oxygen. In too much of a hurry to properly secure the cylinder in the bed of his pickup truck he left abruptly. Traffic was very heavy and progress was slow. Being very impatient the young man decided to jump the curb and go around traffic. Since the cylinder was not tied down the jolt of jumping the curb caused the cylinder to tip over and break off a valve, thus spilling the liquid oxygen down the side of his pickup and onto the ground. The chemical reaction of the oxygen against the paint caused it to peel off of his pickup. In addition, this is a chemical spill, so the Hazardous Materials Team had to be called to contain the area. Being impatient did not pay off.
Oxygen has many uses, but it is also an element that should be handled carefully.
The gas form of oxygen is used by humans to breath, and can also be used for welding and cutting. When oxygen is used for welding it is mixed with acetylene, propylene or propane to provide the high temperatures needed for welding and cutting. Oxygen is an accelerant and will cause anything flammable to burn hotter and faster. For example a man was working in a welding shop he had just finished a project and was going to take a smoke break. His clothes had picked up a lot of dust and dirt from working, so taking his welding torch with just the oxygen turned on he blew the dirt off his clothes and went out for his break. When he struck the match his clothes caught on fire. The man received third degree burns on his hands, face and upper body. The oxygen gas had clung to his clothes causing the flame from the match to explode.
The second form of oxygen is liquid oxygen, which becomes a liquid when its temperature reaches negative 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Liquid oxygen is used to refill oxygen storage containers outside institutions where there is a need for large volumes of pure oxygen gas. Liquid oxygen goes through a heating process to be converted into gas before being used in the institutions. When transporting liquid oxygen care and caution should be observed. Being in a hurry can lead to major problems as one young man found out. It was late in the day and he had just picked up a cylinder of liquid oxygen. In too much of a hurry to properly secure the cylinder in the bed of his pickup truck he left abruptly. Traffic was very heavy and progress was slow. Being very impatient the young man decided to jump the curb and go around traffic. Since the cylinder was not tied down the jolt of jumping the curb caused the cylinder to tip over and break off a valve, thus spilling the liquid oxygen down the side of his pickup and onto the ground. The chemical reaction of the oxygen against the paint caused it to peel off of his pickup. In addition, this is a chemical spill, so the Hazardous Materials Team had to be called to contain the area. Being impatient did not pay off.
Oxygen has many uses, but it is also an element that should be handled carefully.
Source...