Carbon monoxide, (CO), a highly toxic, colourless, odourless, flammable gas produced industrially for use in the manufacture of numerous organic and inorganic chemical products; it is also present in the exhaust gases of internal-combustion engines and furnaces as a result of incomplete conversion of carbon or carbon-containing fuels to carbon dioxide. Chemical Compounds. ." "carbon monoxide https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/carbon-monoxide-1, "Carbon Monoxide Chemical Compounds. . Updates? Oxford: Butterworth-Heinneman Press, 1997. For example, producer gas is a product made by blowing air across very hot coke (nearly pure carbon). Automobile engines and other gasoline or diesel-powered motors also generate carbon monoxide. 2020-12-12. Many fatal cases are preceded by visits to physicians or emergency departments with only symptomatic treatment. This process occurs when oxygen atoms bond to an iron atom at the center of a complex protein molecule known as oxyhemoglobin. Where is CO found? (December 21, 2020). . Huge quantities of carbon monoxide are produced, for example, during a forest fire or a volcanic eruption. Matthews, John A., E.M. Bridges, and Christopher J. Caseldine The Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Environmental Change. Recent nanotechnology advances (those technologies involving microscopic devices) have developed a nanoparticle catalyst made of nonreactive metals, helping to reduce more efficiently such poisonous gases as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is also produced in greater quantity when carbon-containing substances are burned without enough oxygen being present. Poorly ventilated charcoal fires, improperly installed gas appliances, and exhaust from automobiles and trucks are the most common sources of the gas. The gas is life-threatening after three hours at 400 ppm (0.04 percent) and within minutes at 1.28 percent. Carbon monoxide also reacts with certain metals, especially iron, cobalt, and nickel, to form compounds known as carbonyls. Fortunately, it requires eight to twelve hours for maximum blood levels to be achieved when the body encounters a new CO concentration, otherwise mainstream cigarette smoke, which contains even higher levels of CO, might be instantaneously lethal. . CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2001. Yet another use of the gas is in the Fischer-Tropsch process for the manufacture of hydrocarbons and their oxygen derivatives from a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. see also Carbon monoxide is a compound of carbon and oxygen in which the ratio of the two elements is one atom of carbon to one atom of oxygen. By controlling the amount of reactants used and the conditions of the reaction (temperature and pressure), the portion of carbon monoxide produced can be increased. Carbon monoxide has three major industrial uses. Improperly ventilated appliances and engines, particularly in a tightly sealed or enclosed space, may allow carbon monoxide to accumulate to dangerous levels. Carbon dioxide can be converted into a liquid at its boiling point of -312.7°F (-191.5°C) and then to a solid at its freezing point of -337°F (-205°C). Carbon monoxide is a compound of carbon and oxygen with the chemical formula CO. . ." Lide, D.R., ed. Carbonmonoxyhemoglobin is, however, a more stable compound than is oxyhemoglobin. The clinical symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning described above are manifestations of these changes. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Encyclopedia.com. In addition to automobile exhaust, other lethal sources of CO are often related to home heating systems. . Encyclopedia.com. Someone exposed to high concentrations of carbon monoxide may actually begin to suffocate as his or her body is deprived of oxygen. Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Greenwood, N. N., and A. Earnshaw. Carbon monoxide is used in industry primarily as a source of energy and as a reducing agent. engines (boats and lawn mowers), charcoal and wood fires, agricultural burning, and tobacco smoke. The main sources producing this contamination are cars using gasoline or diesel fuel and industrial processes using carbon compounds; these two are responsible for 80% of carbon monoxide … compound than is oxyhemoglobin. CO has a more than two-hundredfold greater affinity for this oxygen-carrying site than does oxygen. Environmental Encyclopedia. Question 7. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1981, pp. The table shows element percentages for CO (carbon monoxide). In the period between 1772 and 1799, Priestley gradually recognized the nature of this compound and showed how it was different from carbon dioxide, with which it often appeared. Vehicular Pollution. UXL Encyclopedia of Science. A second application of carbon monoxide, either by itself or in conjunction with other gases, is as an industrial fuel. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/carbon-monoxide-0, "Carbon Monoxide None the less carbon monoxide had been well known and extensively studied in the centuries prior to Priestley's work. It makes up about 1.2 × 10-5% of a sample of dry air in the lower atmosphere. Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck; London: Harcourt, 2001. 21 Dec. 2020 . The amount of carbon monoxide produced in such reactions depends on the availability of oxygen and the combustion temperature . A Guide to the Elements. 21 Dec. 2020 . This means that land and sea temperature increases changing to ecosystems, increasing storm activity and causing other extreme weather events. https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/educational-magazines/carbon-monoxide, Robinson, Marin Sands "Carbon Monoxide The fetus is also at higher risk due to the greater affinity of CO for fetal, as compared to adult, hemoglobin. New York: Edward Arnold, 2001. "Carbon Monoxide New questions in Science your grandmother is recovering from viral fever writer letter in about 100 - 120 words to her inquiring about her health and wishing her a speedy reco … One of the most commonly used involves the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons obtained from natural gas. Implications: Production of the toxic substances, carbon monoxide and Compound A, from anesthetic degradation by carbon dioxide absorbents, might be minimized by the use of one of two specific absorbents, Amsorb (Armstrong Medica, Ltd., Coleraine, Northern Ireland) (calcium hydroxide which also includes 0.7% polyvinylpyrrolidine, calcium chloride, and calcium sulfate) or lithium hydroxide. ." Environmental scientists rank it behind sulfur oxides, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides , and volatile organic compounds, however, in terms of its relative hazard to human health. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. As early as the late thirteenth century, Spanish alchemist Arnold of Villanova (c. 1235–1311) described a poisonous gas formed by the burning of wood; this gas was almost certainly carbon monoxide. Reason A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of a single type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its atomic nucleus. A chemical structure of a molecule includes the arrangement of atoms and the chemical bonds that hold the atoms together. Convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide using two different methods. Concentrations of up to 100 ppm have been measured in the center of busy downtown urban areas. ." The first is in the synthesis of a large variety of organic compounds. Stwertka, Albert. The lowest level that a CO alarm can detect is 70 ppm. The molecule is not easily released, blocking further oxygen uptake, and ultimately depriving organs and tissues of life-sustaining oxygen. All oxides except those of nickel are reduced to their metallic state. Answer: Reducing action of carbon- monoxide: Carbon monoxide is a strong reducing agent. It is said that "the dose makes the poison" because almost any substance can be poisonou…, nitric oxide Two strands of research in the late 1970s led to a revolution in biology. "Carbon Monoxide Detectors, What You Need to Know." carbon monoxide definition: 1. the poisonous gas formed by the burning of carbon, especially in the form of car fuel 2. the…. One of these is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide can kill a person who breathes it. ." As early as the late 1200s, the Spanish alchemist Arnold of Villanova described a poisonous gas produced by the incomplete combustion of wood that was almost certainly carbon monoxide. Without oxygen, people and animals soon die. Once the first oxygen molecule is released at the tissue level the second, third, and fourth come off even more rapidly. Ozone is the major air pollutant formed in photochemical smog and a potent greenhouse gas. In all three procedures, the carbon monoxide component of the gas mixture produced in the reaction can be separated out from the other gases. For this reason, overt symptoms due to lack of oxygen can be observed at COHb levels of approximately 15 to 20 percent, or even less, in healthy people. As exposure increases, a person may lose consciousness and go into convulsions. 1821. "Carbon monoxide Fuel-burning appliances and fireplaces ought to be routinely inspected. Lacking an adequate supply of oxygen, at low temperatures, or under certain other conditions, incomplete combustion occurs. Commercial methods for producing carbon monoxide often depend on the direct oxidation of carbon under controlled conditions. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2001. Retrieved December 21, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/academic-and-educational-journals/carbon-monoxide. 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