Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas that has a slightly acidic flavor. It can also be compressed and liquefied gas or take the form of flakes or white cubes. In solid form, is used as dry ice. Carbon dioxide can be found in its natural form in the spring water and is released when volcanoes erupt and for logging. When breathing, people exhale carbon dioxide. It can also be produced by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, gasoline and natural gas. Its chemical formula is CO2.

Carbon dioxide is used for cooling, making beer and soft drinks and production of other chemicals, including methanol. Among the industries that use carbon dioxide include firefighting, processing, storing and freezing food, metalworking, and the sacrifice of livestock, oil and gas recovery, and foundries. Carbon dioxide is used in fertilizers, aerosol propellants, aspirin and cylinders for inflating life rafts. It is also used to produce smoke or fumes harmless scenarios, cool the center of golf balls and spray before rolling rice.

In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is part of the global carbon cycle between air, sea, land, marine life and mineral mines. It is a greenhouse gas because it absorbs heat in the atmosphere, sending part of the absorbed heat back to the Earth's surface and contributes to global warming. The carbon dioxide emissions account for about 80% of all emissions of greenhouse gas in the United States. Sources of carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change include the burning of fossil fuels, electricity, transport vehicles, the manufacture of cement or lime, waste burning and the flames produced by gas natural.

Basic properties:
Properties Value
chemical formula CO2
molecular weight 44.0095 g/mol
phase gas (at STP)
melting point -56.56 °C
boiling point -78.5 °C
density 0.00184212 g/cm3 (at 20 °C)
dielectric constant 1.00092

Gas properties:
Properties Value
density 0.00184212 g/cm3 (at 20 °C)
vapor density 1.52 (relative to air)
molar volume 23890.7 cm3/mol
refractive index 1.112