What is the simplest way for converting CO2 to O2?

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Converting CO2 to O2 is not easy process. Because of carbon dioxide is a colorless inert gas. The oxidation number of carbon in carbon dioxide is +4. This is its highest oxidation number.

Thus the carbon in carbon dioxide cannot increase its oxidation number but can only reduce it. For this reason it has oxidation properties but no reducing properties.

But there is a strong affinity of oxygen to carbon atom. This is why carbon dioxide is a stable inert gas. Oxygen is not released easily by the dissociation of CO2.

Besides, oxygen gas cannot be produced directly from carbon dioxide in the laboratory in general.

However, at very high temperatures, carbon dioxide can decompose into carbon and oxygen and produce oxygen.

The best way for converting CO2 to O2 is via photosynthesis in plants, algae and bacteria. In this process, green plants absorb water from the soil and carbondioxide from the air in the presence of sunlight to produce sugars.

In this case green leaf chlorophyll acts as a catalyst and oxygen is produced from carbon dioxide through the process of photolysis.

Although, biological source has been shown that in photosynthesis process, the oxygen is produced from water.

But now many scientists have been able to prepare O2 from CO2 using lasers and in this case they use the photosynthesis equation formula.

What is dry ice in chemistry?

Carbon dioxide gas can be easily converted to liquid by reducing the pressure. At temperatures below 303 K and at about 40 atmospheric pressure carbon dioxide gas is liquefied.

When liquid carbon dioxide evaporates rapidly, a portion of it solidifies. This solid carbon dioxide looks as white as ice and cooler than ice.

But if you put your hand on it, it doesn’t get wet. This is why solid carbon dioxide is called dry ice.

Uses of dry ice

Solid carbon dioxide or dry ice is used as an important refrigerant. Because of dry ice or card ice is predominantly a cooling agent. It helps one to achieve temperature lower than ice.

For this reason, liquid or solid carbon dioxide is used as a freezer in the food industry, especially for the preservation of ice cream, fish, meat and other frozen foods.

Solid carbon dioxide is always below -78.5 ° C at regular atmospheric pressure regardless of air temperature.

For this reason, solid carbon dioxide or dry ice is used for small shipments where refrigeration equipment is not practical.

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