Who Discovered the Oxygen?

The air we breathe is a mixture of gases, most of which is nitrogen (75 percent). The oxygen content, on the other hand, is only 21 percent. This amount is sufficient for humans to oxygenate the blood for energy production.

Oxygen is essential for life

Oxygen is absorbed into the lungs with respiration, and from there it enters the blood. It binds to the red blood cells (erythrocytes) and is transported by them throughout the body to all organs. Once there, the cells absorb the oxygen and burn it in their power plants, the so-called mitochondria. This produces the vital energy that the body needs for metabolism and muscle movement. What remains is carbon dioxide with the chemical symbol CO

2

, which is released by the cells back into the blood and exhaled through the lungs.

Reserves last only a short time

At rest, an adult inhales one to one and a half liters of oxygen per minute with about 16 breaths. If the body is stressed, it needs more energy. Breathing rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure increase so the blood can provide more oxygen to the cells for energy. Under stress, untrained people increase their maximum oxygen intake to up to three liters per minute. Top athletes reach values twice as high.

But who discovered oxygen now?

The chemical compound O

2

, oxygen, was discovered by the Swedish pharmacist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1772 by chance during his chemical experiments. Because it promoted combustion, Scheele called the gas he had found fire air for a long time. It was not until years later that the natural scientist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier recognized the important role of oxygen in respiration and thus became one of the founders of modern chemistry.