What is the difference between Carbon and CO2????

I have noticed recently quite a few people asking what the difference is between Carbon and CO2. With all this talk of Carbon footprints and reducing CO2 emissions what is it we are supposed to be reducing??

So the definition of Carbon is that it is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is a group 14, nonmetallic, tetravalent element, that has several allotropic forms, the best known ones are graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon. Carbon is one of the few elements known to man since antiquity.

It is the 4th most abundant element in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. It is ubiquitous in all known lifeforms, and in the human body it is the second most abundant element by mass (about 18.5%) after oxygen. This abundance, together with the unique diversity of organic compounds and their unusual polymer-forming ability at the temperatures commonly encountered on Earth, make this element the chemical basis of all known life.

So CO2 is Carbon dioxide and it’s a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth’s atmosphere in this state. It is currently at a globally averaged concentration of approximately 383 ppm by volume in the Earth’s atmosphere,[1] although this varies both by location and time. Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas because it transmits visible light but absorbs strongly in the infrared.

Carbon dioxide is produced by all animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms during respiration and is used by plants during photosynthesis to make sugars which may either be consumed again in respiration or used as the raw material for plant growth. It is, therefore, a major component of the carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is generated as a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels or vegetable matter, among other chemical processes. Inorganic carbon dioxide is output by volcanoes and other geothermal processes such as hot springs.

Carbon dioxide has no liquid state at pressures below 5.1 atm, but is a solid at temperatures below -78 °C. In its solid state, carbon dioxide is commonly called dry ice.
The term ‘carbon’ is often used as shorthand for carbon dioxide (CO2), as in ‘carbon debt’. However, this isn’t just about carbon dioxide. When we talk about clearing carbon, we actually refer to six key pollutants, collectively referred to as ‘greenhouse gases’ (GHG’s):

• carbon dioxide
• methane
• nitrous oxide
• hydrofluorocarbons
• perfluorocarbons
• sulphur hexafluoride

The main GHG is Carbon Dioxide, so to keep things simple, scientists talk about these gases in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq), so that we can compare apples with apples. So, you’re really supporting the cleansing of all six main greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide. Our calculators work out the quantity of greenhouse gases, and express them in the figure of tonnes of CO2. Our projects also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases other than CO2, and convert these to carbon dioxide equivalents.

Under terrestrial conditions, conversion of one element to another is very rare. Therefore, the amount of carbon on Earth is effectively constant. Thus, processes that use carbon must obtain it somewhere and dispose of it somewhere else. The paths that carbon follows in the environment make up the carbon cycle. For example, plants draw carbon dioxide out of their environment and use it to build biomass, as in carbon respiration or the Calvin cycle, a process of carbon fixation. Some of this biomass is eaten by animals, whereas some carbon is exhaled by animals as carbon dioxide. The carbon cycle is considerably more complicated than this short loop; for example, some carbon dioxide is dissolved in the oceans; dead plant or animal matter may become petroleum or coal, which can burn with the release of carbon, should bacteria not consume it.

well then I hope that clears a few things up, in a sense I feel its pointless to try and change the way the planet works because according to Dr Iain Stuart, we should be worrying more about saving ourselves than the planet!!

Hawkerette x

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