Overview

Carbon dioxide (KAR-bun dye-OK-side) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-combustible gas that can also exist under pressure as a clear, colorless, odorless, tasteless liquid and as a white, snow-like solid commonly known as dry ice. When dry ice is warmed it sublimes (passes directly from the solid to the gaseous state without first melting) at −78.4°C (−109°F).

Key Facts

Other Names:

Carbonic anhydride; carbonic acid gas

Formula:

CO₂

Elements:

Carbon, oxygen

Compound Type:

Nonmetallic oxide

State:

Gas

Molecular Weight:

44.01 g/mol

Melting Point:

Not applicable; liquefies under pressure at −56.56°C (−69.81°F)

Boiling Point:

Sublimes at −78.4°C (−109°F)

Solubility:

Soluble in water; slightly soluble in alcohol and some other organic solvents

The true nature of carbon dioxide was discovered over an extended period of time beginning with the research of the Flemish physician and chemist Jan Baptista van Helmont (1580–1635?). In about 1603, van Helmont isolated a gas...