Quote:
Originally Posted by pressld2  Hi Gill,
Fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal contain carbon bound up with other elements in molecules. (Coal itself is made up of molecules of pure carbon but there are usually impurities embedded in it). When the fuel is burned the molecules are broken apart into smaller molecules or individual atoms. This is what releases the energy. The individual atoms of each element are then free to join with other atoms to form new molecules. Carbon combines very readily with oxygen to form carbon monoxide (1 carbon atom + 1 oxygen atom) and carbon dioxide (1 carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms).
Hope that helps!
Dave P. |
Interesting so you need only expose carbon rich things like coal or oil (or peat?) to the air and it forms CO2? Or do you need to burn them? or does that simply release more carbon dioxide?
So carbon in itself (like a lump of coal) can produce CO2 just with us exposing it and/or burning it we make the situation worse?
do diamonds produce carbon dioxide?
plants produce carbon dioxide in the absence of light- but not because they are composed mostly of carbon but because of the gaseous exchange caused by photosynthesis?
Oh I wish I had been taught more about this in chemistry!