01 What is Carbon Dioxide?
Linear and non-polar despite having polar bonds, because the two bond dipoles cancel. Exists as a gas at room temperature. Absorbs infrared radiation, making it the primary driver of climate change.
02 Why It Matters
Photosynthesis converts COโ into glucose, the basis of nearly all food chains. In water it forms carbonic acid, making oceans more acidic and dissolving limestone to form caves. Its rising atmospheric concentration is the primary driver of global warming.
03 Structure and Bonding
Shape: Linear (180ยฐ)
Bonds: 2 polar C=O double bonds
Polarity: Non-polar (symmetrical) - The molecule's bond dipoles cancel out due to its symmetrical shape, so even though individual bonds are polar, the molecule has no overall dipole moment.
The first 420 ppm in atmospheric COโ corresponds to the level that existed ~4 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch.