Carbon monoxide is a compound of carbon and oxygen with the chemical formula CO. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, toxic gas. It has a density of 1.250 g/L at 32°F (0°C) and 760 mm Hg pressure. 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).
The discovery of carbon monoxide is often credited to the work of the English chemist and theologian Joseph Priestley. 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. None the less carbon monoxide had been well known and extensively studied in the centuries prior to Pr…
Commercial methods for producing carbon monoxide often depend on the direct oxidation of carbon under controlled conditions. For example, producer gas is made by blowing air across very hot coke (nearly pure carbon). The final product consists of three gases, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen in the ratio of 6 to 1 to 18. Water gas is made by a similar process, by passing steam over ho…
The toxic character of carbon monoxide has been well known for many centuries. At low concentrations, carbon monoxide may cause nausea, vomiting, restlessness, and euphoria. As exposure increases, a person may lose consciousness and go into convulsions. Death is a common final result. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established a limit of 35 ppm (parts per million) of ca…
Carbon monoxide is a very important industrial compound. In the form of producer gas or water gas, it is widely used as a fuel in industrial operations. The gas is also an effective reducing agent. For example, when carbon monoxide is passed over hot iron oxides, the oxides are reduced to metallic iron, while the carbon monoxide is oxidized to carbon dioxide. In another application a mixture of me…
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