We all have heard about carbon dioxide in our schools. Carbon dioxide is the gas we breathe out during respiration. Carbon dioxide is a vital compound for all life on Earth. But too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can cause an increase in global warming. Here are 10 facts and information you should know about carbon dioxide.
1. Carbon dioxide was the first gas to be recognized apart from air and water vapor.
2. Carbon dioxide is used by plants in the process of photosynthesis to produce food and oxygen.
3. Carbon dioxide accounts for more than 75 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Carbon dioxide is essential for keeping our planet warm. Without it, the temperature of Earth will be far below its present temperature and most life on Earth including humans would vanish.
5. Carbon dioxide is often used on stage and in movie effects because of its property of getting moisture present in the atmosphere.
6. The solid form of carbon dioxide, also known as dry ice, has a special property of converting directly into a gas without proceeding into liquid form.
7. Carbon dioxide fire extinguisher is suggested to use in electrical fires as it is cold, does not destroy any electrical equipment, cuts off oxygen supply near the fire, and is cheap and readily available.
8. Crowded rooms can make you feel exhausted and dizzy due to an increase in carbon dioxide levels. Ventilation in the room is essential.
9. Carbon dioxide accounts for more than 90 percent of the atmospheric volume of the planets Mars and Venus.
10. At -78.5 degree Celsius (-109.3 degrees Fahrenheit), carbon dioxide freezes. So, every winter on Mars, 25-30 percent of carbon dioxide from its atmosphere accumulates as solid ice on the Martian Pole.