Why is there oxygen on Earth

One of the most important chemical elements for humanity is oxygen since, without it, human beings could not exist. Humans we breathe the air that has oxygen, but we never ask ourselves what is the origin of this vital element. To know its origin, in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about why is there oxygen on earth.

Oxygen is a chemical element represented by the symbol O. It is a very important substance for the formation of the Earth's atmosphere and is essential to sustain life on the planet. It is the third most abundant element in the universe, second only to hydrogen and helium.

Oxygen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, characterized by its high reactivity. The latter is the reason why oxygen is part of hundreds of organic compounds, and fuses with most elements.

It should be noted that oxygen is not only useful for human beings, since it not only has a presence on Earth, because it is an element that we find on other planets like Mars, or stars like Sun.

In this other lesson from a TEACHER we will discover what the layers of the atmosphere.

Continuing with this lesson on why there is oxygen on Earth, we must talk about the origin of this on our planet to know the process that led to the existence of oxygen in our atmosphere.

In the first moment, the atmosphere was very different from what we know today. Before life appeared, the atmosphere did not have oxygen, being made up of other elements that did not allow the existence of human beings.

It was not until the appearance of the first anaerobic and photosynthetic bacteria that began the production of oxygen in the oceans of the planet. These bacteria lived without the need for the existence of oxygen, obtaining their energy from the light of the Sun and produced oxygen as waste material, which eventually led to oxygen in our planet. We could say that without the existence of these photosynthetic bacteria, humanity could not have existed.

The origin of oxygen in the oceans can be traced back to around 2500 million years, in the Paleoproterozoic stage. Later, oxygen served to oxidize the reduced substances of the ocean and the earth's crust, this produced the accumulation of oxygen in the earth's atmosphere.

Oxygen is vital for life on EarthTherefore, we must understand the consequences that the lack of oxygen would have on our planet, even if it were only 5 seconds without this precious element. Some of the things that would happen if the planet lost oxygen are the following:

• All living cells would explode. Water is largely oxygen, if this element were to disappear, hydrogen would turn into a gaseous state, thereby expanding.
• The blue of the sky would be darker. A kind of blue-black, because the atmosphere would have fewer particles capable of scattering blue light.
• People on the beach would get very bad sunburn. Ozone, molecular oxygen, is what blocks UV rays.
• The internal combustion engines would stop working, since without oxygen it is impossible to function by this method.
• The earth's crust is would go bankrupt, because oxygen is part of a large percentage of the earth's crust.
• Much of the air pressure would be lost, which would result, among other things, that the internal ears of human beings would explode. It would be like going from sea level to 2,000 meters deep in an instant.
• Unformed metal parts they would automatically weld, since the oxidation layer that prevents the metals from being welded disappeared.
• One of the most important consequences is that the planet's oceans would evaporate. Water is made up of oxygen, and without it the seas and oceans would remain in a gaseous state.
• The reinforced concrete buildings would turn to dust. Oxygen is an important binder in concrete structures, without it, constructions would lose their rigidity.