Q1.
We breathe in oxygen, which is a non-metal, and without it, we would not be able to survive. Can you think of any other uses of oxygen?
Answer
- Oxygen cylinders in hospitals for patients who cannot breathe enough on their own.
- Mountaineers and deep-sea divers carry oxygen cylinders where the air is thin or absent.
- Burning — no fuel can burn without oxygen. Coal in the ironsmith's furnace, gas on the kitchen stove and wood in a chulha all need it.
- Cutting and welding metals — an oxygen flame is hot enough to melt steel.
- Aquatic life — fish use the oxygen dissolved in water, which is why an aquarium needs an air pump.
- Rockets carry liquid oxygen with them, because there is no air in space to burn the fuel.
Did you know? The other non-metals are just as useful: carbon is the building block of all life forms and a key part of proteins, fats and carbohydrates; nitrogen goes into fertilisers; chlorine purifies water; and a solution of iodine is applied on wounds as an antiseptic.