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?

  • @ThatWeirdGuy1001OP
    62•1 year ago

    So simply because it’s so reactive the most common form is oxygen paired with itself?

    • @WhoRogerEnglish
      80•1 year ago

      Not just with itself, also with other elements. Say, you won’t find pure iron in the wild either, because normally it reacts with oxygen so well.

      But yea oxygen needs to pair with something because its outer electron shell is incomplete. So pairing with another oxygen atom is likely, but also with whatever else is available - nitrogen, iron, whatever.

      Most elements are found in molecules really, with the exception of noble gasses like Helium. And some are less reactive than others.