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Concept information

Preferred term

carbon dioxide  

Definition

  • Carbon dioxide (chemical formula CO₂) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transparent to visible light but absorbs infrared radiation, acting as a greenhouse gas. It is a trace gas in Earth's atmosphere at 421 parts per million (ppm), or about 0.04% by volume (as of May 2022), having risen from pre-industrial levels of 280 ppm. Burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of these increased CO₂ concentrations and also the primary cause of climate change. Carbon dioxide is soluble in water and is found in groundwater, lakes, ice caps, and seawater. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it forms carbonic acid (H₂CO₃), which causes ocean acidification as atmospheric CO₂ levels increase. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide)

Broader concept

Entry terms

  • carbonic acid gas
  • carbonic anhydride

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URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-HJKTTW25-Z

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RDF/XML TURTLE JSON-LD Created 10/18/22, last modified 10/18/22