Can Oxygen freaze?

[mooeypoo]

If it can, then how cold should it be for it to freaze?

 

I've seen the movie "The Day after Tomorrow" and without destroying the point (actually a nice movie) -- I just thought how cold should it be for the oxygen to freaze...

 

I'd appreciate if you WONT put spoilers in here by the way let people enjoy the movie as it is.

~moo

[Dave]

Liquid Oxygen boils at about -183.0 degrees C, which is about 90K.

[mooeypoo]

How do you get ot a point you have liquid oxygen?

 

And say I want to freaze the oxygen we have in the air.. how low should the temperature get in order to achieve that?

 

~moo

[BPHgravity]

-218.79 degrees C.

[Skye]

Well it melts at -218.4 C according to this site. So probably freezes at a fairly similar temperature.

 

[Edit] Yeah what Bryan said. I got distracted by oxygens funky phase diagram. You know it acts as a metal and a superconductor at high pressure? Definitely funky.

[mooeypoo]

Say, I just thought of it.. if we say oxygen actually freeze at such extreme temperature (I know we won't have such temp on earth, I'm just SAYING) - then shouldn't it be more difficult to breath air when it's cold than it is when it's hot?

 

Relatively speaking...

 

~moo

[Dave]

Say, I just thought of it.. if we say oxygen actually freeze at such extreme temperature (I know we won't have such temp on earth, I'm just SAYING) - then shouldn't it be more difficult to breath air when it's cold than it is when it's hot?

 

I'd assume it's harder to breathe when it's colder (e.g. Antarctica, etc), but I don't think it has much to do with the physical properties of oxygen; more to do with the temperature of the air (i.e. it's cold).

[YT2095]

in actual fact as dave says it`s the cold that makes it hard to breathe, if the cold wasn`t an issue for our lungs, we`de actualy breathe better as the oxygen would be closer packed (more O2 molecules per litre).

[mooeypoo]

Uhm yeah I'd figure that too but fact is it's much harder to breath when the air is hot... in the summer -- oh wait. That might have something to do with the humidity, now that I think of it...

 

So wait, if I put two people - one in the middle of the desert and one in the middle of antartica - concidering the fact that we put them both relatively at the same "difference" temperature from the "normal" they are used to --- who will have a harder time breathing and who's air atmosphere would cause more body damage? (disregard other atmospherecal damage like the sun, radiation and such.. just air)

 

And another question I've seen in a movie and thought might be a bit stupid, but I might be wrong here: Is liquid oxygen an acid? if I "drink" it (other than the fact I'll die 'cause it'll freaze my internal organs) will it actually scorch and melt my face?

 

Seen in a movie (I think it was Solaris - it sucked - but I just thought I'd ask).

 

And YT: What oyu're saying is that cold makes it harder only because it's COLD? not because of oxygen? but isn't the oxygen more "liquidy" (or however you say it) ?

 

And one last question: Do you guys think it's possible to compress oxygen so that a human can breath a form of liquid that contains "air" materials? that can be used for deep sea explorations because of the enormous atmospherecal pressure..

 

 

~moo

[YT2095]

liquid O2 is 1`stly VERY COLD! it`s also one of the best Oxidising agents know (Oxidise- Oxygen) and so yes, pure O2 in gas form does a negative effect upon skin, it causes something called "Free Radicals" that have an ageing effect on us, so in that sense it`s true

 

for the last part, NO NO NO!!!!! you`ll never breathe pure liquid Oxygen, you`de need to be under Tonnes of pressure, by which time breathing would be the last thing you`de be doing

 

there are however experimental liquids that have been tested upon animals that supply the needed Oxygen and are quite capable of sustaining life over short periods of time, they`re largely Flourocarbon based though, never liquid Oxygen

 

 

hope that helps a little?

[Dave]

for the last part, NO NO NO!!!!! you`ll never breathe pure liquid Oxygen, you`de need to be under Tonnes of pressure, by which time breathing would be the last thing you`de be doing

 

Plus there's the fact that when the liquid oxygen boils and becomes gaseous, it expands to something like a couple hundred times the volume.

 

(this is why when you're storing something like liquid hydrogen in a big tank, you have a pressure release valve so that your tank doesn't explode )

[Skye]

It's also why you shouldn't let outside gases get into a NMR machine that has liquid helium inside.

[admiral_ju00]

And another question I've seen in a movie and thought might be a bit stupid' date=' but I might be wrong here: Is liquid oxygen an acid?

~moo[/quote']

 

unless you(or anyone) posts things like ES, then no questions are considered stupid.

 

this is kind of out of your original question bracket, but pure oxygen can be considered like an acid. not only is it more combustible - that's why you can't smoke in the hospitals, especially around patients who have those O2 canisters, but it also corrodes things - aka. oxidation.

 

 

edit: but then cooling O2 to a point of either absolute zero or very close to it, that should/would freeze it. hypothetically, once you're reached the absolute zero, the molecules are no longer moving, at all.

[Dave]

It should also be noted that this stuff is such a good oxidizer they use it as the oxidizer in rocket fuel for the space shuttle (in place of something like hydrogen peroxide etc).

[kjitta]

I usually live in a moderate climate, but served 1 year in the army way north in my country. At one point it was -40°C outside, cold enough for a cup of hot water to freeze before it hit the ground, when it was tossed into the air. It wasn't any harder or easier to breathe there than on a warm day.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

It should also be noted that this stuff is such a good oxidizer they use it as the oxidizer in rocket fuel for the space shuttle (in place of something like hydrogen peroxide etc).

Actually, nearly all liquid fuel rockets use liquid oxygen, it's the fuel that differs.

 

I think that cold and hot air are just as easy to breathe, because if you think about it, it's not much of a difference in density. The only thing is that it takes more energy then to heat you up (in cold air).

[Dave]

I'm thinking of smaller scale rockets tbh (mainly because it's so hard to store liquid oxygen in a small rocket), but I obviously didn't make that clear, sorry about that.

[dryan]

Is liquid oxygen an acid?

Oxygen (O2), whether liquid or gas, is a Lewis Acid, because it accepts electrons.

[mooeypoo]

In the movie Solaris (again, it sucked, and I wouldn't be surprised that the science in it is flawed as hell) there was a scene where one of the characters wanted to kill herself, and drank a bottle of liquid oxygen (that's what her husband in the movie said, at least). Her face - where she had swallowed it - was completely melted.

 

I just wanted to know if that contains any shred of truth and science in it.

 

Other than that, I just thought about something. When we say breath we don't mean oxygen alone, naturally, there are more substances in the air -- so if we say "it harder to breath when its cold" -- is that because of oxygen or other substances "freezing" in the air?

 

~moo

[YT2095]

I`de have been surprised if she even managed to get a few ml of it past her gullet before swallowing msucles froze. her face wouldn`t melt, it would more than likely freeze and break off in bits though, definately something to avoid if you have sensitive teeth as well!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I`de have been surprised if she even managed to get a few ml of it past her gullet before swallowing msucles froze. her face wouldn`t melt, it would more than likely freeze and break off in bits though, definately something to avoid if you have sensitive teeth as well!

I don't think they'd freeze, there's a guy that swallowed liquid nitrogen. Ouch.

[YT2095]

yeah and I know a guy that stole and drank battery acid, the police charged him shortly after

[Dave]

I can't tell whether that was a joke or not, but if it is then it's quite funny

[YT2095]

I was indeed jesting

[Dave]

Indeed. I don't think he would've been in a state for the police to do anything with him otherwise