Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide, chemical formula CO, is a colorless gas, odorless, and tasteless. It consists of one carbon atom is covalently bonded to one oxygen atom. In this bond, there are two covalent bonds and a coordinate covalent bond between carbon and oxygen atoms.

Carbon monoxide is produced from incomplete combustion of carbon compounds, often occurs in internal combustion engines. Carbon monoxide is formed when there is lack of oxygen in the combustion process. Carbon dioxide is flammable and produces a blue flame, producing carbon dioxide. Although he is a poison, CO plays an important role in modern technology, which is the precursor of many carbon compounds.
Carbon monoxide is a very important compound, so many methods have been developed for production. [1]

Producer gas formed by burning carbon in oxygen at high temperatures when there is excess carbon. In an oven, the air flow through the coke. The first CO2 produced will have an equilibrium with the hot carbon, producing CO. O2 reaction with carbon to form CO called Boudouard equilibrium. Above 800 ° C, CO is the predominant product:

    O2 + 2 C → 2 CO
    ΔH = -221 kJ / mol

The disadvantage of this method is if done with air, he would leave the mixture consisting of nitrogen.

Synthetic gas or water gas is produced via the endothermic reaction of water vapor and carbon:

    H2O + C → H2 + CO
    ΔH = 131 kJ / mol

CO is also a byproduct of the reduction of metal oxide ores with carbon:

    MO + C → M + CO
    ΔH = 131 kJ / mol

Because CO is a gas, the reduction process can be accelerated by heating. Ellingham diagram shows that CO formation is favored than CO2 at high temperatures.

CO is the anhydride of formic acid. Therefore, it is practical to produce CO from formic acid dehydration. Production of CO in other laboratory scale by heating a mixture of zinc powder and calcium carbonate.

    Zn + ZnO + CaCO3 → CaO + CO

Another laboratory method is by reacting sucrose with sodium hydroxide in a closed system.