Oxygen was one of the primary elements required for the function of many carbon-based life forms.
It was most vital on space stations or spacecraft to allow said life forms to breathe. (DW: The Moonbase)
Oxygen is a chemical element. Oxygen is vital for the survival of many carbon-based lifeforms, including Humans.
Oxygen is commonly found in the form of gas in the atmosphere of many Class M planets across the galaxy, although at fairly low levels. It is also found in atmospheres of Class L, Class O and Class P planets, making all capable of supporting most humanoid lifeforms. (ST reference: Star Charts)
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There is more information available on this subject at Oxygen on the English-language Wikipedia. |
Oxygen in the form of O₂ is produced from water by cyanobacteria, algae and plants during photosynthesis and is used in cellular respiration for all complex life. Oxygen is toxic to anaerobic organisms, which were the dominant form of early life on Earth until O₂ began to accumulate in the atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago. Fortunately, O₂ is the most stable form of the element, having an enthalpy of 0. Another form (allotrope) of oxygen, ozone (O3), helps protect the biosphere from ultraviolet radiation with the high-altitude ozone layer, but is a pollutant near the surface where it is a by-product of smog.
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Oxygen was independently discovered by Joseph Priestley and Carl Wilhelm Scheele in the 1770s, but Priestley is usually given priority because he published his findings first. The name oxygen was coined in 1777 by Antoine Lavoisier,[5] whose experiments with oxygen helped to discredit the then-popular phlogiston theory of combustion and corrosion. Oxygen is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquefied air, use of zeolites to remove carbon dioxide and nitrogen from air, electrolysis of water and other means. Uses of oxygen include the production of steel, plastics and textiles; rocket propellant; oxygen therapy; and life support in aircraft, submarines, spaceflight and diving.
Almost all Covenant species respire using oxygen. The vast majority of known Covenant worlds possess oxygenated atmospheres[1]. The only known species whose homeworld is not predominantly oxygen atmosphere is the Unggoy. The Covenant symbol for oxygen is twin dots, surrounded by a triangle.[2]
It is unknown whether or not the Forerunners breathed oxygen, though there is oxygen on all of the Halo Rings, Onyx, and the Ark.
Oxygen (O)[1] was the elemental gas that many beings breathed to survive, most notably Humans. It was, however, poisonous to Celegians, Kel Dor, Gand, and various other species. Oxygen was found on many inhabited planets and moons throughout the galaxy. It was highly reactive; considered a reducing agent.[1] Oxygen was present as oxides in Tibanna gas on Bespin.[2]
The Fabrennix Oxygen Extractor was a device that was often used to extract oxygen from underground water as well as water vapor sources. Using a meter-long probe, it dug into the surface of a planet in order to collect individual molecules of water so that its operator would have enough to drink.[3] The Mon Calamari also used Oxygen Symbiotes in order to breathe underwater. These symbiotes were able to filter pure oxygen from water, transferring it into the operator's lungs through their mouth and nose.[4]
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In real life, oxygen (IPA: /ˈɒksidʒən/) is a chemical element with the chemical symbol O and atomic number 8. On Earth it is usually bonded to other elements covalently or ionically.
While oxygen presumably appears on nearly all inhabited planets, the following is only a list of sources in which oxygen is specifically mentioned:
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