Element 8 · Non-Metal
Oxygen
The reactive gas that makes life possible — and ironically, the same gas that rusts our metals.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
O
ATOMIC NO.
8
ATOMIC WEIGHT
15.999
CATEGORY
Non-Metal
PERIOD
Period 2
GROUP
Group 16
History
Oxygen was discovered independently by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1772 and Joseph Priestley in 1774. Priestley’s paper was published first, though Scheele’s discovery predated it. Lavoisier named it oxygen (Greek for “acid-former”) and established its role in combustion. Its industrial use in steelmaking (the basic oxygen furnace, developed in the 1950s) replaced open-hearth furnaces and transformed steel production economics.
Uses Today
The largest industrial use of oxygen is in steelmaking via the basic oxygen furnace, where it is blown through molten iron to remove carbon. Other major uses include medical and clinical oxygen, water treatment, welding and cutting, and chemical synthesis. Over 100 million tonnes are produced annually by fractional distillation of liquefied air.
Why We Don't Buy It
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Oxygen:
Oxygen is a gas — not a metal or recyclable solid. Like all industrial gases, it is produced on demand by air separation rather than recovered from scrap. There is no physical form that could be traded as scrap.
Value & Pricing
Industrial bulk oxygen costs approximately £0.03–0.10 per cubic metre for large users. Medical oxygen commands a premium. It is a utility commodity, not a scrap material.