• callyral [he/they]@pawb.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    4 months ago

    i’m not a chemist but is this licking the most common molecule form or the atomic variety

    O₂ is safe but i don’t think O is

    • Tyfud@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      4 months ago

      I think it’s framed in the context of: “How dangerous would a single molecule be to a human?”. In that context, I would say O is safe, only because our body naturally destroys the radical oxygen molecules every day that we create with our anti-oxidants.

      True, in a larger quantity than our body can handle, it’s extremely toxic; but a single molecule would probably not be too bad.

      But I do agree, it shouldn’t be Green. It should be Yellow at least.

      • Eheran@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        3 months ago

        O would completely destroy you in lickable quantities. I think you underestimate how extremely reactive it is. Just remember that it is so reactive that it reacts with oxygen to form ozone. This is not a little byproduct in extremely small quantities all throughout the body, which is also not the O radical anyway.