Oxygen is an atom, with the symbol O and atom number 8 and atomic mass 15,999. In nature the oxygen molecule combines in a twin and occurs as a chemical element O2. It was discovered in the 18th century by Joseph Priestly, Antoine Lavoisier and Carl Wilhelm Scheel. Oxygen is the basis for biological life on earth. Oxygen is a highly oxidizing non-metal that rapidly forms oxides with other elements and compounds in an exothermic reaction. Air consists of 20.8% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and a few other noble gases (Argon, Helium, Neon and Xenon).
PROPERTIES OF OXYGEN
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APPLICATIONS
You could not read this text without oxygen. Every time you breathe in, your body takes oxygen from the air and the oxygen is used for internal combustion processes. They ensure that you maintain your body temperature and that your brain works. For a number of applications, nitrogen must be removed from the air to increase the purity of the air to 99.5% more.
There are different areas of application:
Breathing: in the medical sector, patients are given extra oxygen and in aviation, passengers are also given the necessary extra oxygen. There is specific legislation for medical applications.
Food sector: in special packaging to increase the shelf life of the products.
Welding, metal processing and chemistry: pure oxygen is used to optimize combustion processes and to emit less carbon dioxide. The oxygen is put into air splitters to liquefy the air and split it into liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen and noble gases. The quality of the pure oxygen is then tested. Either the oxygen is supplied in bottles or you can buy an oxygen tank.
OXYGEN GAS BOTTLES (OXYGEN CYLINDERS)
There are gas cylinders in different sizes and with different pressures. Depending on the type of gas in the bottle, the “shoulder” of the bottle has a different color, which is standardized under the European standard EN 1089-3. In the case of oxygen this is white. With medical oxygen, the rest of the bottle gets a specific color. An overview of the different colors of the gas bottles can be found here.
An oxygen bar of 300 bar contains up to 50% more oxygen gas than a gas bottle of 200 bar. This is the highest possible pressure. Due to the high risk of filling up this highly oxidizing gas, bottles of 300 bar (coupled systems of 8-12 cylinders) are preferred.mLike all bottles, our gas bottles are treated on the inside, dried and chemically made passive. In this way we can guarantee optimum purity and avoid that our customers or our employees are exposed to certain risks because the gas bottles have not been treated properly by the previous user.
Because the bottles come in different shapes and pressures, it is important that the correct accessories are supplied. This way the gas can be led to your application under the right pressure and with the right flow rate. For bottles that do not contain a pressure of 300 bar, the thread varies from country to country.
LIQUID OXYGEN IN CONTAINERS – LIQUID OXYGEN IN CRYOGENIC STORAGE VESSELS
To keep the temperature of liquid oxygen low, the nitrogen must be stored in a cryogenic container. You can purchase or rent this container (dewar or portable liquid container (PLC), cryogenic tank or mini-bulk). Due to the extremely low temperatures, the safety regulations must be strictly adhered to. For example, it is recommended to wear cryogenic protective gloves or other special protective gloves.
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS & TECHNICAL DATA SHEETS NITROGEN
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Oxygen boosts flame temperatures in welding, cutting, and melting processes—improving productivity and energy savings.
Supports biological wastewater treatment and enhances oxidation processes in environmental applications.
Used in respiratory therapy, anesthesia, and emergency care—our medical-grade oxygen meets strict purity and safety standards.
From cylinders and liquid tanks to onsite generation, Messer ensures a reliable and continuous oxygen supply tailored to your needs.
With production plants across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, we ensure local service backed by globally unified quality. Our facilities meet the strictest standards—ISO 9000, ISO 17025, and ISO 17034—ensuring consistency, traceability, and trust.
20.9 % of air; 50.5 % of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere
Extremely reactive, forms compounds with nearly all other elements,
participates in most combustion and corrosion processes.
Extremely reactive, forms compounds with nearly all other elements,
participates in most combustion and corrosion processes.