Carbon monoxide, also known as carbon monoxidegas, has a very strong molecular composition, is inert in its chemical properties and poorly soluble in water. This compound is also incredibly toxic, when it enters the respiratory organs, it connects to the hemoglobin of the blood, and it ceases to transfer oxygen to the tissues and organs.
Chemical name and formula
Carbon monoxide is also known by others.names, including carbon monoxide II. In everyday life it is called carbon monoxide. This carbon monoxide is a poisonous, colorless and odorless, tasteless gas. Its chemical formula is CO, and the mass of one molecule is 28.01 g / mol.
Effects on the body
Carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobinthe formation of carboxyhemoglobin, which does not have the capacity of oxygen. Inhalation of its vapors causes damage to the central nervous system (central nervous system) and suffocation. The resulting lack of oxygen causes headache, dizziness, decreased pulse and respiratory rate, leading to fainting and subsequent death of the body.
Toxic gas
Carbon monoxide is produced by partialcombustion of substances containing carbon, for example, in internal combustion engines. The compound contains 1 carbon atom covalently bound to 1 oxygen atom. Carbon monoxide is very poisonous, and it is one of the most common causes of fatal poisoning worldwide. Exposure may damage the heart and other organs.
What is the use of carbon monoxide?
Despite its serious toxicity, monoxideCarbon is extremely useful - thanks to modern technology, a number of vital products are created from it. Carbon monoxide, although today considered to be a pollutant, has always been present in nature, but not in such quantity as, for example, carbon dioxide.
Wrong are those who believe that there is nocarbon monoxide compounds 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. Since the natural compounds of this compound are not constant, it is not possible to accurately measure natural gas emissions.
Chemical properties
Carbon monoxide (formula CO) refers to non-salt-forming or indifferent oxides. However, at a temperature of +200 aboutWith it reacts with sodium hydroxide. During this chemical process, sodium formate is formed:
NaOH + CO = HCOONa (formic acid salt).
The properties of carbon monoxide are based on its reducing ability. Carbon monoxide:
- may react with oxygen: 2CO + O2 = 2CO2;
- able to interact with halogens: CO + Cl2 = COCl2 (phosgene);
- has the unique property of reducing pure metals from their oxides: Fe2ABOUT3 + 3CO = 2Fe + 3CO2;
- forms metal carbonyls: Fe + 5CO = Fe (CO)5;
- perfectly soluble in chloroform, acetic acid, ethanol, ammonium hydroxide and benzene.
Molecule structure
Two atoms of which, in fact, consistsmolecule of carbon monoxide (CO), connected 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-orbitals of carbon and 2p-electron pairs of oxygen. Such a structure provides the molecule with high strength.
A bit of history
Even Aristotle from ancient Greece describedtoxic fumes produced by burning coals. The death mechanism itself was not known. However, one of the ancient methods of execution was locking the lawbreaker in the steam room, where embers were located. A Greek physician, Galen, suggested that certain changes occur in the composition of the air, which cause harm if inhaled.
During World War II, the gas mixture withimpurities of carbon monoxide, was used as a fuel for motor vehicles in those parts of the world where there was a limited amount of gasoline and diesel fuel. External (with some 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 to the gas mixer. It was the so-called wood gas.
Carbon monoxide oxidation
Carbon monoxide is formed by the partial oxidation of carbon-containing compounds. CO is formed when oxygen is insufficient to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), for example, when operating the furnace or engineinternal combustion in confined space. If oxygen is present, as well as some other atmospheric concentrations, carbon monoxide burns, emitting blue light, forming carbon dioxide, known as carbon dioxide.
Coal gas, widely used until the 1960slast century for indoor lighting, cooking and heating, had a CO as part of the primary component of the fuel. Some processes in modern technologies, such as smelting iron, still produce carbon monoxide as a by-product. The CO compound itself is oxidized to CO.2 at room temperature.
Is there CO in nature?
Is there carbon monoxide in nature?One of its natural sources of origin are photochemical reactions occurring in the troposphere. These processes are supposed to generate about 5 × 1012 kg of substance e; annually. Among other sources, as mentioned above, are volcanoes, forest fires and other types of combustion.
Molecular properties
Carbon monoxide has a molar mass of 28.0, whichmakes it a little less dense than air. The bond length between two atoms is 112.8 micrometers. It is close enough that provides one of the most powerful chemical bonds. Both elements in a CO compound together have about 10 electrons in the same valence shell.
As a rule, in organic carbonylcompounds a double bond occurs. A characteristic feature of the CO molecule is that a strong triple bond arises between the atoms with 6 common electrons in 3 linked molecular orbitals. Since 4 of the total electrons come from the oxygen atom and only 2 from carbon, one bound orbital is occupied by two electrons from O2, forming a dative or dipole bond. This causes polarization of the C ← O molecule with a small charge "-" on carbon and a small charge "+" on oxygen.
The remaining two connected orbitals occupy one.a charged particle from carbon and one from oxygen. The molecule is asymmetric: oxygen has a higher electron density than carbon, and is also slightly positively charged compared to negative carbon.
Receiving
In industry, carbon monoxide CO is produced by heating carbon dioxide or water vapor with coal without air access:
WITH2 + C = 2CO;
H2O + C = CO + H2.
The last mixture obtained is also called water.or synthesis gas. Under laboratory conditions, carbon monoxide II by exposing organic acids to concentrated sulfuric acid, which acts as a water-removing agent:
HCOOH = CO + H2ABOUT;
H2FROM2ABOUT4 = CO2 + H2ABOUT.
Main symptoms and help with CO poisoning
Does carbon monoxide cause poisoning? Yes, and very strong. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common occurrence in the world. The most common symptoms are:
- feeling weak;
- nausea;
- dizziness;
- fatigue;
- irritability;
- poor appetite;
- headache;
- disorientation;
- impaired vision;
- vomiting;
- fainting;
- convulsions.
Exposure to this toxic gas may causesignificant damage that can often lead to long-term chronic pathological conditions. Carbon monoxide can cause serious damage to the fetus of a pregnant woman. Victims, for example, after a fire, should be given immediate assistance. it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance, give access to fresh air, remove clothes that hinder breathing, calm and warm. Severe poisoning, as a rule, is treated only under the supervision of doctors, in the hospital.
Application
Carbon monoxide, as already mentioned, is poisonous anddangerous, 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 dioxide, methyl alcohol, formamide, aromatic aldehydes, formic acid. This substance is also used as a fuel. Despite its toxicity and toxicity, it is often used as a raw material for the production of various substances in the chemical industry.
Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide: what's the difference?
Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (CO and CO2) often mistaken for each other.Both gases are odorless and color, and both have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system. Both gases can enter the body through inhalation, skin and eyes. When exposed to a living organism, these compounds have a number of common symptoms - headaches, dizziness, convulsions, and hallucinations. Most people hardly make a difference and do not understand that car exhaust emissions emit both CO and CO.2 . Indoors, increasing the concentration of these gases can be hazardous to the health and safety of the person exposed to them. What is the difference?
At high concentrations both can be fatal. The difference is that CO2 is the common natural gas required forall plant and animal life. CO is not a common occurrence. It is a byproduct of anoxic fuel combustion. The critical chemical difference is that CO2 contains one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, whereas CO has only one of them. Carbon dioxide is non-combustible, while monoxide is more likely to ignite.
Carbon dioxide naturally occurs inatmosphere: people and animals breathe oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, that is, living beings are able to withstand it in small quantities. This gas is also necessary for the implementation of plant photosynthesis. However, carbon monoxide does not occur naturally in the atmosphere and can cause health problems even in 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 the houses.
