CONCENTRATION OF OXYGEN AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently separate and concentrate oxygen by introducing an oxygen-containing gas into a vessel storing a heterogeneous mixture comprising an aggregate of a transition metal with a ligand and a solvent and having the oxygen absorbency, absorbing the oxygen and diffusing the absorbed oxygen from the heterogeneous mixture. SOLUTION: Cobalt ion, nickel ion, manganese ion, iron ion, copper ion or the like can be used as a transition metal ion and a salen derivative, a porphyrin derivative, a phthalocyanine derivative, a pyridine derivative, an imidazole derivative or the like, a molecule or an ion having a coordinating ability for the metal ion and a polymer containing the units can be used as a ligand in a heterogeneous mixture having the oxygen absorbency. A solvent is capable of partially or completely dissolving a compound comprising the transition metal and ligand and 4-tertiary butyltoluene, tertiary amylbenzene, N,N'-dimethylformamide or the like can be cited as examples.