These days, industrial activities make use of certain specialized gases which do not naturally occur in the concentrations or states required by industry. One of these is carbon dioxide, or CO2, to use the scientific abbreviation. CO2 is present in the atmosphere but only constitutes about 0.03% of the air. Even though this sounds like an unimportant proportion, it is anything but that - CO2 is one of the integral gases in the environment and the air. Anyone who operates a high pressure CO2 pump should educate themselves on this gas.
It is not possible to identify CO2 gas by eye or smell, since it has no color or odor. It is sometimes used in a solid state as "dry ice" to keep items cold. Dry ice is not, however, stable in that form and it immediately turns into gas when the container is opened. It is extremely hard to keep dry ice in a solid form.
The CO2 molecule is formed when oxygen and carbon combine. Carbon does not sound like highly flammable material but when it burns it produces carbon dioxide. CO2 comprises two oxygen atoms and one carbon atom.
Carbon dioxide is also formed by trees and other plants through the reverse of photosynthesis at night, in the absence of the sun. During the day, plants perform the process of photosynthesis, during which carbon dioxide is harvested from the atmosphere and converted into oxygen. At night, however, the process is reversed and the plants release CO2. The destruction of forests is a threat to the safe composition of the atmosphere because trees remove large amounts of CO2 from the air.
0.03% might sound like a very small fraction, but CO2 is nonetheless an important gas. It is not used by the body, and is exhaled with water vapor during respiration. In an environment containing only CO2, respiration is impossible and suffocation will ensue in a short space of time.
CA (controlled atmosphere) storage relies on this principle to prevent aerobic bacteria (those using oxygen) from causing fresh produce to rot. The facility in which CA storage is used has an atmosphere composed of nearly 100% CO2. Aerobic bacteria cannot rot anything in this environment and the produce can be stored for a very long time, even years. Research has shown that the nutritional quality of the produce does not survive, though.
Another obvious use of CO2 is in soft drinks, or carbonated beverages. This is known to the public. But what is not so popularly known or advertised is that the carbonation of the drinks gives them an acidic aspect. CO2 dissolves in water to produce carbonous acid (H2CO3). This happens as the bubbles of CO2 dissolve into the drink. Even though this is a weak acid, it is still acidic. As an experiment, leave a tooth in a glass of a soft drink over night. The tooth might dissolve and disappear during that time.
Carbon dioxide can cause death by suffocation. Those who work with it should therefore be trained in the appropriate safety precautions and the nature of the gas. This is particularly important for those who make use of the high pressure pumps.
It is not possible to identify CO2 gas by eye or smell, since it has no color or odor. It is sometimes used in a solid state as "dry ice" to keep items cold. Dry ice is not, however, stable in that form and it immediately turns into gas when the container is opened. It is extremely hard to keep dry ice in a solid form.
The CO2 molecule is formed when oxygen and carbon combine. Carbon does not sound like highly flammable material but when it burns it produces carbon dioxide. CO2 comprises two oxygen atoms and one carbon atom.
Carbon dioxide is also formed by trees and other plants through the reverse of photosynthesis at night, in the absence of the sun. During the day, plants perform the process of photosynthesis, during which carbon dioxide is harvested from the atmosphere and converted into oxygen. At night, however, the process is reversed and the plants release CO2. The destruction of forests is a threat to the safe composition of the atmosphere because trees remove large amounts of CO2 from the air.
0.03% might sound like a very small fraction, but CO2 is nonetheless an important gas. It is not used by the body, and is exhaled with water vapor during respiration. In an environment containing only CO2, respiration is impossible and suffocation will ensue in a short space of time.
CA (controlled atmosphere) storage relies on this principle to prevent aerobic bacteria (those using oxygen) from causing fresh produce to rot. The facility in which CA storage is used has an atmosphere composed of nearly 100% CO2. Aerobic bacteria cannot rot anything in this environment and the produce can be stored for a very long time, even years. Research has shown that the nutritional quality of the produce does not survive, though.
Another obvious use of CO2 is in soft drinks, or carbonated beverages. This is known to the public. But what is not so popularly known or advertised is that the carbonation of the drinks gives them an acidic aspect. CO2 dissolves in water to produce carbonous acid (H2CO3). This happens as the bubbles of CO2 dissolve into the drink. Even though this is a weak acid, it is still acidic. As an experiment, leave a tooth in a glass of a soft drink over night. The tooth might dissolve and disappear during that time.
Carbon dioxide can cause death by suffocation. Those who work with it should therefore be trained in the appropriate safety precautions and the nature of the gas. This is particularly important for those who make use of the high pressure pumps.
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