Oxygen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gaseous chemical element which appears in great abundance on Earth, trapped by the atmosphere. Many people are familiar with oxygen, because it is a vital component of the respiration process; without oxygen, most organisms will die within minutes. A number of forms of oxygen and oxygen compounds can be found in nature. Oxygen can also be isolated and sold in pure form for an assortment of uses, and was first isolated and identified in 1774.