(CO) A colorless flammable toxic gas formed by the incomplete combustion of carbon. In the laboratory it can be made by dehydrating methanoic acid with concentrated
sulfuric acid:
HCOOH – H₂O → CO
Industrially, it is produced by the oxidation of carbon or of natural gas, or by the water-gas reaction. It is a powerful reducing agent and is used in metallurgy.
Carbon monoxide is neutral and only sparingly soluble in water. It is not the anhydride of methanoic acid, although under extreme conditions it can react with sodium hydroxide to form sodium methanoate. It forms metal carbonyls with transition metals, and its toxicity is due to its ability to form a complex with hemoglobin.