TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Oxygen Therapy and Toxicity A1 - Wemple, Matthew A1 - Benditt, Joshua O. A2 - Grippi, Michael A. A2 - Elias, Jack A. A2 - Fishman, Jay A. A2 - Kotloff, Robert M. A2 - Pack, Allan I. A2 - Senior, Robert M. A2 - Siegel, Mark D. PY - 2015 T2 - Fishman's Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 5e AB - Oxygen was discovered in the late 18th century simultaneously by several investigators. Joseph Priestley, a minister in England, made his discovery after attempting to melt mercury oxide using a magnifying glass and the sun's rays. The vapor that was produced by this melting allowed a candle to burn brighter, and Priestley later discovered the vapor could be used in place of air to keep a mouse alive. He first published his findings in 1774. At about the same time, and in a similar way (i.e., by burning mercury oxide), Carl Scheele, a pharmacist in Sweden, described a gas he called “fire air.” He may have done his experiments before Priestley, but he did not publish his findings until 1777. Finally, after being told about this new vapor during a 1774 visit by Joseph Priestley, the chemist, Antoine Lavoisier, devised quantitative experiments which he used to prove the existence of this element and its role in combustion. He named the element “oxygen” and published his research in 1777. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1122371640 ER -