MadSci Network: Chemistry
Query:

Re: Is Carbon Monoxide Stable?

Date: Mon Sep 21 11:45:48 1998
Posted By: Carlin Gregory, , Chemistry (BA and MS) in Synthetic , Williams Gas Pipelines - Texas Gas
Area of science: Chemistry
ID: 906100597.Ch
Message:

Kate, Carbon monoxide is a stable molecule. It is produced by a number of means, the most common being the burning of carbon in a deficiency of oxygen. Your second question of how it forms a stable compound when carbon has a "polarity" of 4 and oxygen 2, has to do with molecular orbitals. As you have noticed, carbon should have 4 bonds to complete its electron needs. Carbon monoxide only has the two bonds from the carbon to the oxygen. Without getting complicated, one orbital of the oxygen is actually sharing electrons with two orbitals of the carbon. If you understand the principal of orbitals, the 2s and 2p orbitals of the carbon are sharing electrons from the 2p orbital of the oxygen, thus you obtain the required 8 electrons for the bond which fulfills all the requirments to make it a stable molecule.


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