contains two double bonds and has a linear shape. It has no electrical dipole. As it is fully oxidized, it is not very reactive and in particular not flammable.
Carbon dioxide can be reduced to a liquid and solid form by intense pressure.
At standard pressure, it is never liquid: it directly passes between the gaseous and solid phase at -78°C; in a process called sublimation.
Water will absorb its own volume of carbon dioxide, and more than this under pressure. About 1% of the dissolved carbon dioxide turns into carbonic acid, resulting in a slightly acidic taste. The carbonic acid in turn dissociates partly to form bicarbonate and carbonate ions.
In energetic atmospheres, such as those present in a welding arc, Carbon Dioxide acts as an oxidizer of most metals. Use in the automotive industry is common despite significant evidence that it causes brittleness of the weld joint and such joints deteriorate over time due to the formation of carbonic acid. It is used as a welding gas primarily because it is much less expensive than argon or helium.
to produce 'dry ice fog' for special effects: when dry ice is put into contact with water, the resulting mixture of CO2 and cold humid air causes condensation and a fog
for cleaning: shooting tiny dry ice pellets at a surface cools the dirt and causes it to pop off
Dry ice is produced by compressing CO2 to a liquid form, removing excess heat, and then letting the liquid carbon dioxide expand quickly. This expansion causes a drop in temperature so that some of the CO2 freezes to "snow" which is then compressed.
Carbon dioxide extinguishes flames, and some fire extinguishers contain pressured liquid carbon dioxide. Life jackets often contain capsules of pressured liquid carbon dioxide used for quick inflation.
Water containing dissolved carbon dioxide is also known as carbonated water or soda water. Carbonated water is contained in many soft drinks and some natural springs. Some beverages, such as beer and sparkling wine contain carbon dioxide as a result of fermentation.
Many leavening agents used for baking produce carbon dioxide to cause the dough to rise. Examples are baker's yeast and baking powder.
Carbon Dioxide is the primary gas respirated by plants. Greenhouses use CO2 enrichment to boost plant growth.
High level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere effectively exterminate most pests. Greenhouses will raise the level of CO2 to 10,000 ppm (1%) for several hours to eliminate pests such as whitefly, spider mites, and others. This level is also lethal to larger organisms and toxic or fatal to humans. OSHA limits for human workplace exposure are 5000 ppm.
Carbon dioxide content in fresh air is less than 1%, in exhaled air ca. 4.5%. When breathed in in high concentrations (about 5% by volume), it is toxic to humans and other animals. Hemoglobin, the main molecule in red blood cells, can bind both to oxygen and to carbon dioxide. If the CO2 concentration is too high, then all hemoglobin is saturated with carbon dioxide and no oxygen transport takes place (even if plenty of oxygen is in the air). As a result, being in a room with poor ventilation will cause the problem of too much carbon dioxide, before too little oxygen becomes a problem.
Also, carbon dioxide and dry ice should only be handled in well ventilated areas.
The CO2 that is carried in blood can be find in different areas. 8% of CO2 is in the plasma as a gas. 20% of it is bound to hemoglobin, The CO2 bounded to hemolobin is not competing with oxygen binding since it binds to amino acids rather than hemo molecules.The remaining 72% of it is carried as bicarbonate HCO3- which is a buffer important in our pH regulation. The level of bicarbonate is regulated and if it is high then we breath more rapidly to get rid of the excess carbon dioxide.The level of carbon dioxide/bicarbonate in the blood affects the thickness of the blood capillaries. If it is high, the capillaries expand and more blood rushes in and carries the excess bicarbonate to the lungs. To help avoid the loss of carbon dioxide to a deadly low level, the body has developed certain defensive mechanisms. These include contractions of the air pipes and blood pipes, and the increased production of mucus.
Plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by photosynthesis, which uses light energy to produce organic plant materials by combining carbon dioxide and water. This releases free oxygen gas. Sometimes carbon dioxide gas is pumped into greenhouses to promote plant growth.
As of 2004, the earth's atmosphere is about 0.038% CO2 by volume, or 379 ppm. Due to the greater land area, and therefore greater plant life, in the northern hemisphere as compared to the southern hemisphere, there is an annual fluctuation of about 5 ppm, peaking in May and reaching a minimum in October at the end of the northern hemisphere growing season, when the quantity of biomass on the planet is greatest.
Despite its small concentration, CO2 is a very important component of Earth's atmosphere, because it traps infrared radiation and enhances the greenhouse effect of water vapor, thus keeping the Earth from cooling down. The initial carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the young Earth was produced by volcanic activity; this was necessary for a warm and stable climate conducive to life. Volcanic activity now releases about 130-230 million metric tons (145-255 million short tons) of carbon dioxide each year. Volcanic releases are about 1% the amount which is released by human activities.
The global warming hypothesis was first recorded in scientific literature near the end of the 19th century. It predicts that increased amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere tend to increase the greenhouse effect and thus contribute to global warming. The size of this effect is still a matter of debate. The widespread opinion that there is currently a warming phase and that the increased carbon dioxide concentration is a major contributor to it has led to international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol which aim to regulate the release of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The Earth's oceans dissolve a major amount of carbon dioxide. The resulting carbonate anions bind to cations present in sea water such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ to form deposits of limestone and dolomite. Most carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually undergoes this fate: if all the carbonate rocks in the earth's crust were to be converted back in to carbon dioxide, the resulting carbon dioxide would weigh 40 times as much as the rest of the atmosphere.
