Solid oxygen

This article is about the solid phase of elemental oxygen. For solids used as a source of oxygen or as an oxidizer, see Oxidizing agent.

Solid oxygen forms at normal atmospheric pressure at a temperature below 54.36 K (−218.79 °C, −361.82 °F). Solid oxygen O2, like liquid oxygen, is a clear substance with a light sky-blue color caused by absorption in the red part of the visible light spectrum.

Oxygen molecules have attracted attention because of the relationship between the molecular magnetization and crystal structures, electronic structures, and superconductivity. Oxygen is the only simple diatomic molecule (and one of the few molecules in general) to carry a magnetic moment.[1] This makes solid oxygen particularly interesting, as it is considered a "spin-controlled" crystal[1] that displays antiferromagnetic magnetic order in the low temperature phases. The magnetic properties of oxygen have been studied extensively.[2] At very high pressures, solid oxygen changes from an insulating to a metallic state;[3] and at very low temperatures, it even transforms to a superconducting state.[4] Structural investigations of solid oxygen began in the 1920s and, at present, six distinct crystallographic phases are established unambiguously.

The density of solid oxygen ranges from 21 cm3/mol in the α-phase, to 23.5 cm3/mol in the γ-phase.[5]

  1. ^ a b Freiman, Y. A. & Jodl, H. J. (2004). "Solid oxygen". Physics Reports. 401 (1–4): 1–228. Bibcode:2004PhR...401....1F. doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2004.06.002.
  2. ^ See also: For papers dealing with the magnetic properties of solid oxygen we refer to magnetisation of condensed oxygen under high pressures and in strong magnetic fields by R.J. Meier, C.J. Schinkel and A. de Visser, J. Phys. C15 (1982) 1015–1024, far infrared absorption dealing with the magnetic excitations or spinwaves in Meier R J, Colpa J H P and Sigg H 1984 J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys. 17 4501.
  3. ^ Desgreniers, S., Vohra, Y. K. & Ruoff, A. L. (1990). "Optical response of very high density solid oxygen to 132 GPa". The Journal of Physical Chemistry. 94 (3): 1117–1122. doi:10.1021/j100366a020.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Shimizu, K., Suhara, K., Ikumo, M., Eremets, M. I. & Amaya, K. (1998). "Superconductivity in oxygen". Nature. 393 (6687): 767–769. Bibcode:1998Natur.393..767S. doi:10.1038/31656. S2CID 205001394.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Roder, H. M. (1978). "The molar volume (density) of solid oxygen in equilibrium with vapor". Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data. 7 (3): 949–958. Bibcode:1978JPCRD...7..949R. doi:10.1063/1.555582.