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Unreactivity of Oxygen -

• Oxygen's electronic state makes it quite unreactive.
  
  
• Oxygen requires a starting energy from sources such as a flame (burning match or fire) or spark (lightning or struck flint) to kick of the oxidative reaction (burning).
  
  
• The energy released maintains the reaction until all the available oxidisable compounds are oxidised (e.g. burned to ash and carbon dioxide - CO₂).
  
  
• The energy of flames and sparks are far too destructive to be part of oxidative reactions in living systems. Instead, living systems utilise organic catalysts called enzymes to facilitate oxidative reactions.