Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)
The leading actor of climate and photosynthesis
Summary
Carbon dioxide is formed when two oxygen atoms are attached to a carbon atom by double bonds. It is linear; it is the product of respiration and the starting material of photosynthesis.
In depth
The CO₂ molecule is O=C=O: two double bonds in a linear (180°) structure. Although the bonds are polar, the molecule is symmetric, so it has no net dipole moment. Plants take CO₂ from the air and turn it into glucose using the Sun's energy (photosynthesis); animals burn glucose and return CO₂ to the atmosphere (respiration). Since the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere has risen from 280 ppm to more than 420 ppm, making it the main driver of global warming.
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