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Carbon Dioxide

 

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a compound in which two oxygen atoms are connected to a carbon atom. At normal temperatures it is a colourless gas that exists naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere. The air that we breathe has about 0.03% of carbon dioxide in it.

Carbon dioxide is an important part of the carbon cycle and essential for life on Earth.  Without it temperatures on our planet would be very low.

Plants use the sunlight and take up the CO2 in the atmosphere to produce energy and oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis.

The gas is also produced when fossil fuels are burned. Carbon dioxide that has been stored for millions of years in coal, oil and natural gas is set free. Living creatures produce carbon dioxide when they breathe out. It is emitted from volcanoes and hot springs. Deforestation sets carbon that is stored in trees free.

Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas. Light that enters the atmosphere it is converted to heat. Higher amounts of CO2 make the atmosphere denser and keep it from getting out. CO2 is a gas that is highly responsible for global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere has risen by 40%.

Throughout the centuries carbon dioxide has been in balance. Now more carbon dioxide is being produced than can be absorbed by nature.

Uses of Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is used in various industries to produce food, chemicals and oil products. It is especially common as a food additive and is added to beverages to give fizz to sparkling wine and water. It is also responsible for a beer’s foam.

As a pressurized gas carbon dioxide is used in fire extinguishers because it does not burn. Put in cartridges it can be used to inflate bike tires. In its solid form CO2 is called dry ice. It is used for cooling fresh food or ice cream. Liquid carbon dioxide is needed to remove caffeine from coffee

Carbon dioxide in oceans

Oceans are carbon sinks. They absorb more than 25% of all the carbon dioxide that people emit into the atmosphere. As a result, the ocean’s water is becoming more acidic. This change affects the food chain and all sea organisms.

Carbon dioxide poisoning

Although carbon dioxide is not poisonous in normal amounts it can kill you if there is more than 10% in the air. High concentrations can lead to dizziness, bad sight, breathing problems as well as a high blood pressure and an increased heart beat. High levels of CO2 occur when there is not enough fresh air in a room.

Important Elements

 Important Elements

Hydrogen

The hydrogen atom is the smallest that we know and it has a very simple structure: one proton with a positive charge and one electron with a negative charge.

Hydrogen occurs as a gas that you can’t see and can’t smell. It is about 14 times lighter than air. When you combine two atoms of hydrogen with one atom of oxygen you get a water molecule H 2O. Like nitrogen, hydrogen can also be condensed to a liquid that freezes at – 259°C (-434°F) and boils at -252°C (-423°F)

Hydrogen is one of the most common elements in our universe. The sun and many stars are made of hydrogen. It can also be found in the earth’s crust. Hydrogen is in many compounds of animals and plants.

Hydrocarbons are compounds that only have hydrogen and carbon in them, like petroleum, natural gas or plastic.

Hydrogen has many uses. When two hydrogen atoms get together they form a molecule and give off a lot of heat. That’s why, together with oxygen, hydrogen makes a good fuel. It, for example, powers the engines of space rockets. Power plants use hydrogen to produce energy. There are even cars that run on hydrogen fuel. When you add hydrogen to coal you can make petrol.

Helium

Helium is a light, colourless gas that you can’t smell. It belongs to the group of noble gases because you cannot combine it with other elements. It has two protons and two neutrons.

Like hydrogen, we can find helium everywhere in our universe. On Earth, helium can be found in natural gas and in the atmosphere. It is so light that it rises and escapes into the atmosphere.

Helium is used to fill balloons. They can rise very high because helium is lighter than air. It is also safer than hydrogen because it does not burn.

People who suffer from asthma sometime inhale helium and oxygen because helium can enter the lungs more easily.

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a colourless gas that you can’t smell. It makes up about 78 % of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Nitrogen’s chemical symbol is N. Its atomic number is 7 and its mass is 14. Nitrogen gas has two atoms bonded together to form a molecule. The gas can be made into a liquid that freezes at -209° and boils at 195 ° C.

All plants and animals must have nitrogen to live. It is part of all amino acids. Plants produce these acids themselves, animals only produce some of them and get the rest by eating other animals and plants,

Nitrogen is also used as a fertilizer, which plants need to grow.

Iron

Iron is a silvery, white metal that you can find in rocks. Its chemical symbol is Fe, for ferrum. It has 26 protons and a mass of 56.

The industry gets pure iron out of ore that is melted at a high temperature about 1,500 ° C.

All plants, animals and human beings need iron. Most iron in our body is in the red blood cells where it helps to form haemoglobin. Haemoglobin carries oxygen to all parts of our body. We also need iron in your muscles. So it’s important to eat enough food with iron in it, or else you might get tired and weak

Carbon

Carbon is one of the most important elements. All living creatures have carbon in them and the industry uses carbon in many ways.

Carbon’s chemical symbol is C. Its atomic number is 6 and it has a mass of 12, but there are other isotopes of carbon too.

Carbon atoms like to form bonds with other atoms. They can link together with other elements and form very long chains.

A lot of carbon on Earth is found together with other elements. Carbon dioxideis in the air that we breathe out. Minerals, like limestone have carbon in them. Mixtures of carbon and hydrogen are in petroleum and natural gas.

Pure carbon does not occur very often on Earth. The best known forms of pure carbon are diamonds and graphite.

Diamonds are the hardest objects on Earth. They are in the Earth’s crust, formed under high temperatures and pressure. Diamonds are very valuable. Most of them are used in industry—to cut or polish other objects or as drilling heads in oil fields.

Graphite is a soft grey or black mineral. Like diamonds, graphite is formed under the surface of the Earth. It is used in pencils and, because it is lightweight, you can find it in spaceships, tennis rackets and bicycles.

Chlorine

Chlorine is a poisonous greenish-yellow gas with a strong, bad smell. In nature, it can only be found together with other elements, especially in minerals. Together with sodium it forms salt (NaCl).

Chlorine is used to make water clearer and purer. In swimming pools it kills bacteria. We also use chlorine to clean metal. The industry uses chlorine compounds to produce paper, plastic, medicine and paint.

Chlorine often combines with other elements because it easily accepts free electrons from them. It has 17 protons and an atomic mass of 35.