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?

    • 18107@aussie.zone
      8·
      1 year ago

      I suspect it would rapidly react and give off energy as heat. This would likely be incompatible with life.

      Not an expert.

    • xigoi@lemmy.sdf.org
      81·
      1 year ago

      This question doesn’t even make sense. If atomic oxygen somehow magically appeared in your respiratory tract, it would immediately react with itself and probably burn you to death.