Carbon monoxide, also known as carbon monoxide, has a very strong molecular composition, is inert in its chemical properties and does not dissolve well in water. This compound is also incredibly toxic, when it enters the respiratory system, it combines with blood hemoglobin, and it stops carrying oxygen to tissues and organs.
Chemical names and formula
Carbon monoxide is also known by other names, including carbon monoxide II. In everyday life, it is commonly referred to as carbon monoxide. This carbon monoxide is a poisonous, colorless, tasteless and odorless gas. Its chemical formula is CO and the mass of one molecule is 28.01 g/mol.
Effect on the body
Carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin, which has no oxygen carrying capacity. Inhalation of its vapors causes damage to the CNS (central nervous system) andsuffocation. The resulting lack of oxygen causes headache, dizziness, decreased heart rate and breathing rate, leading to fainting and subsequent death.
Toxic Gas
Carbon monoxide is obtained by partial combustion of substances containing carbon, for example, in internal combustion engines. The compound contains 1 carbon atom covalently bonded to 1 oxygen atom. Carbon monoxide is highly toxic and is one of the most common causes of fatal poisoning worldwide. Exposure may cause damage to the heart and other organs.
What is the use of carbon monoxide?
Despite its serious toxicity, carbon monoxide is extremely useful - thanks to modern technologies, a number of vital products are created from it. Carbon monoxide, although considered a pollutant today, has always been present in nature, but not in such quantities as, for example, carbon dioxide.
Wrong are those who believe that there is no carbon monoxide compound in nature. CO dissolves in molten volcanic rock at high pressures in the Earth's mantle. The content of carbon oxides in volcanic gases varies from less than 0.01% to 2%, depending on the volcano. Because this natural compound is not a constant value, it is not possible to accurately measure natural gas emissions.
Chemical properties
Carbon monoxide (formula CO) refers to non-s alt-forming or indifferent oxides. However, at +200 oС it reacts with sodium hydroxide. During this chemical process, sodium formate is formed:
NaOH + CO=HCOONa (formic acid s alt).
The properties of carbon monoxide are based on its reducing ability. Carbon monoxide:
- can react with oxygen: 2CO + O2 =2CO2;
- capable of interacting with halogens: CO + Cl2 =COCl2 (phosgene);
- has a unique property to restore pure metals from their oxides: Fe2O3 + 3CO=2Fe + 3CO 2;
- forms metal carbonyls: Fe + 5CO=Fe(CO)5;
- Perfectly soluble in chloroform, acetic acid, ethanol, ammonium hydroxide and benzene.
Structure of a molecule
Two atoms, of which, in fact, the carbon monoxide (CO) molecule consists, are interconnected by a triple bond. Two of them are formed by the fusion of p-electrons of carbon atoms with oxygen, and the third is due to a special mechanism due to the free 2p orbital of carbon and the 2p electron pair of oxygen. This structure provides the molecule with high strength.
A bit of history
Even Aristotle from ancient Greece described the toxic fumes produced by burning coals. The mechanism of death itself is not known.was. However, one of the ancient methods of execution was locking the offender in a steam room, where there were smoldering coals. The Greek physician Galen suggested that certain changes occur in the composition of the air that cause harm when inhaled.
During World War II, carbon monoxide gas was used as fuel for motor vehicles in parts of the world where gasoline and diesel were scarce. External (with a few exceptions) charcoal or wood gas generators were installed, and a mixture of atmospheric nitrogen, carbon monoxide and a small amount of other gases was fed into a gas mixer. It was the so-called wood gas.
Oxidation of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is formed by the partial oxidation of carbon-containing compounds. CO is produced when there is not enough oxygen to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), such as when a furnace or internal combustion engine is running in an enclosed space. If oxygen is present, as well as certain other atmospheric concentrations, carbon monoxide burns, emitting blue light, producing carbon dioxide, known as carbon dioxide.
Coal gas, widely used until the 1960s for interior lighting, cooking, and heating, had CO as its predominant fuel component. Some processes in modern technology, such as iron smelting, still produce carbon monoxide inas a by-product. The CO compound itself is oxidized to CO2 at room temperature.
Does CO exist in nature?
Does carbon monoxide exist in nature? One of its natural sources is photochemical reactions occurring in the troposphere. These processes are expected to be able to generate about 5×1012 kg of substance e; annually. Other sources, as mentioned above, include volcanoes, forest fires and other forms of combustion.
Molecular properties
Carbon monoxide has a molar mass of 28.0, making it slightly less dense than air. The bond length between two atoms is 112.8 micrometers. This is close enough to provide one of the strongest chemical bonds. Both elements in a CO compound together have about 10 electrons in one valence shell.
As a rule, a double bond occurs in organic carbonyl compounds. A characteristic feature of the CO molecule is that a strong triple bond arises between atoms with 6 common electrons in 3 bonded molecular orbitals. Because 4 of the shared electrons come from oxygen and only 2 from carbon, one bonded orbital is occupied by two electrons from O2, forming a dative or dipole bond. This causes a C ← O polarization of the molecule with a small "-" charge on carbon and a small "+" charge on oxygen.
The other two bound orbitals occupy one charged particle from carbon andone from oxygen. The molecule is asymmetric: oxygen has a higher electron density than carbon and is also slightly positively charged compared to negative carbon.
Receive
In industry, obtaining carbon monoxide CO is carried out by heating carbon dioxide or water vapor with coal without access to air:
CO2 + C=2CO;
H2O + C=CO + H2.
The last resulting mixture is also called water or synthesis gas. In the laboratory, carbon monoxide II by exposing organic acids to concentrated sulfuric acid, which acts as a dehydrating agent:
HCOOH=CO + H2O;
N2C2O4=CO2 + H2O.
Main symptoms and help for CO poisoning
Does carbon monoxide cause poisoning? Yes, and very strong. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common occurrence worldwide. Most common symptoms:
- feeling weak;
- nausea;
- dizziness;
- fatigue;
- irritability;
- poor appetite;
- headache;
- disorientation;
- visual impairment;
- vomit;
- fainting;
- convulsions.
Exposure to this toxic gas can cause significant damage, which can often lead to long-term chronic conditions. Carbon monoxide is capablecause serious harm to the fetus of a pregnant woman. Victims, for example, after a fire, should be given immediate assistance. it is urgent to call an ambulance, give access to fresh air, remove clothing that restricts breathing, calm, warm. Severe poisoning, as a rule, is treated only under the supervision of doctors, in a hospital.
Application
Carbon monoxide, as already mentioned, is poisonous and dangerous, but it is one of the basic compounds that are used in modern industry for organic synthesis. CO is used to produce pure metals, carbonyls, phosgene, carbon sulphide, methyl alcohol, formamide, aromatic aldehydes, and formic acid. This substance is also used as fuel. Despite its toxicity and poisonousness, it is often used as a raw material for various substances in the chemical industry.
Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide: what's the difference?
Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (CO and CO2) are often mistaken for each other. Both gases are odorless and colorless, and both negatively affect the cardiovascular system. Both gases can enter the body through inhalation, skin and eyes. These compounds, when exposed to a living organism, have a number of common symptoms - headaches, dizziness, convulsions and hallucinations. Most people have a hard time telling the difference and don't realize that car exhaust emits both CO and CO2. Indoors, an increase in the concentration of these gases can be hazardous to the he alth and safety of the person exposed to them.impact. What's the difference?
At high concentrations, both can be fatal. The difference is that CO2 is the common natural gas required for all plant and animal life. CO is not common. It is a by-product of oxygen-free fuel combustion. The critical chemical difference is that CO2 contains one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, while CO has only one each. Carbon dioxide is non-flammable, while monoxide is more likely to ignite.
Carbon dioxide naturally occurs in the atmosphere: humans and animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, which means that living beings can withstand small amounts of it. This gas is also necessary for the implementation of photosynthesis by plants. However, carbon monoxide does not occur naturally in the atmosphere and can cause he alth problems even at low concentrations. The density of both gases is also different. Carbon dioxide is heavier and denser than air, while carbon monoxide is slightly lighter. This feature should be taken into account when installing appropriate sensors in homes.
