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From what I could find, oxygen is neither alkaline nor acidic. Bases and acids are ionic when dissolved in water, but O2 isn't.
by FreeFull 7y ago
From what I could find, oxygen is neither alkaline nor acidic. Bases and acids are ionic when dissolved in water, but O2 isn't.
- samatman 7y agoThere was some hand-waving going on, let me unpack it more fully. Oxygen, the molecule, is apolar and un-ionized. Ozone is not. The amount of ozone in the atmosphere, hence dissolving into the oceans, is predicated on how much oxygen is present during lightning strikes, which is dictated by the partial pressure of oxygen. More generally, oxygen is reactive, and contributes to reactions in an electron-donating capacity, what we call 'oxidizing' whether or not oxygen is involved. Alkalines are oxidizing, acids are reducing; if you add HCL to KOH, the H+ will reduce the OH-, or equivalently, the OH- will oxidize the H+. The safest answer would have actually been: we can do some vague guessing about conditions 150 million years ago, but we certainly can't go back in time and measure it. The existence of crabs is proof that they could form shells under those conditions; what those conditions were, is guesswork.
- samatman 7y agoI should also point out that CO2 isn't acidic, either; that's the carbonate ion, which forms in solution. Same deal with oxygen, except that reactivity between oxygen and water (but not oxygen and ozone) is much lower.
- philipkglass 7y agoAlkalinity and acidity are independent of whether a substance behaves as an oxidizer or reducing agent. Nitric acid is an oxidizer. Hydroiodic acid is a reducing agent. Lithium peroxide is an alkaline oxidizer. Lithium aluminum hydride is an alkaline reducing agent.