Carbon Monoxide
The harmful compound I chose to talk about is carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide is made up of two atoms, an oxygen atom and a carbon atom.
Medical Consequences
Carbon monoxide mainly causes adverse effects in humans by combining with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) in the blood. This prevents oxygen binding to hemoglobin, reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, leading to hypoxia. Carboxyhemoglobin can revert to hemoglobin, but the recovery takes time because the HbCO complex is fairly stable. Cerebral edema (swelling of the brain) is also a common result of severe carbon monoxide poisoning that entails the destruction of brain cells by compressing them into themselves within the cranial compartment causing delayed neurological problems that involve the "higher" or cognitive functions.
Oxygen
Oxygen (O) is a colourless and odourless gas. There is 21% of oxygen in the air. It is a harmless element that has many uses. For example, it is required for breathing for aerobic respiration (the production of energy from glucose) and also to sustain combustion.
Carbon
Carbon (C) can be found in coal deposits underground, in organic compounds like dead matter (biomass) and in the air in substances like carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon is used in the carbon cycle, which is essential for life also.
Chemical Bonding
Type of Chemical Bond : Covalent Bonding
Dot and cross Diagram
References:
http://www.carbonmonoxidekills.com/32/facts
http://library.thinkquest.org/11226/why.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon
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