Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are oxides of carbon. The difference between carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in the chemical structure is the number of oxygen atoms. Carbon monoxide has one oxygen atom and carbon dioxide has two oxygen atoms. Carbon dioxide is vital for our survival as it is a component of the carbon cycle. Carbon monoxide on the other hand is hazardous for humans. In this article, we discuss 12 differences between carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Carbon dioxide
- Carbon oxide is one of the vital components of the carbon cycle.
- It serves as a greenhouse gas.
- It has one carbon and two oxygen atoms.
- It is also referred to as dry ice with the molecular formula CO2.
- It is obtained from the process of breathing, combustion of organic matter, volcanic eruption, wood, and fossil burning.
- It has a molecular mass of 44g/mol.
Carbon monoxide
- It has a molecular mass of 28.01g/mol and the formula CO
- It has one carbon at and one oxygen atom which shares a triple covalent bond.
- It is obtained from the smoke of cigarettes, running cards, charcoal burning, fossil fuels, oils, woods, volcanoes, cookers, water heaters, etc.
- It is odorless, tasteless.
- It is a toxic gas high-level exposure gets mixed up with blood-forming carboxyhemoglobin.
Difference between carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide
| Difference | Carbon dioxide | Carbon monoxide |
| Chemical structure | It is a chemical compound consisting of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. | It is a chemical compound that consists of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. |
| Color | It is colorless and odorless at room temperature | It is a colorless and odorless gas |
| Origin | It is present in the atmosphere of the earth | It is human-made and it is not naturally present in the atmosphere. |
| Molecular weight | Molecular weight is 44.1 Is much denser than CO. | Molecular weight is 28.01 |
| Bond type | It is doubly bonded. | It is triply bonded. |
| Solubility in water | Soluble in water. | Slightly soluble in water |
| Manufacturing | It can be obtained by distillation from the air. Gas is exhaled with normal breathing. | Its produced by little oxygen. It is obtained as a byproduct of burning fuels. |
| Flammability | It’s non-flammable | It’s flammable |
| Density | 1.977 kg/m3 | 1.14 kg/m³ |
| Test | Carbon dioxide reacts with calcium hydroxide to produce calcium carbonate as a white precipitate. | No test as such. You cannot see or smell it. |
| Uses | It is used in the food industry(as a propellant and acidity regulator ), oil industry, and chemical industry. In the fire extinguisher, is added in oxygen for the stimulation of breathing and to stabilize the O2/CO2 balance in the blood. | It is used in metal fabrication. It is used in fuel gas mixtures with other hydrogen and other gases. In chemical manufacture in acids, alcohol. |
| Toxicity | It is poisonous at high doses | A poison even at low doses |
Are there any similarities between carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide?
Both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxides are binary compounds and oxides of carbon.
