CARBON SUBOXIDE

'Carbon suboxide'
Structure of carbon suboxide Space-filling model of carbon suboxide
Molecular formula	C3O2
Molar mass	68.031 g mol−1
Appearance	colourless gas
Properties
Density	3.0 kg/m³, gas at 298 K
Melting point	−107°C
Boiling point	6.8°C
Molecular shape	linear
Related compounds
Related oxides	carbon dioxide carbon monoxide dicarbon monoxide carbon trioxide
Related compounds	carbon subnitride

'Carbon suboxide', or tricarbon dioxide, C₃O₂, is a colorless pungent gas, with four cumulative double bonds, making it a cumulene. It is closely related to CO, CO₂ and C₂O, and other oxides of carbon.
Brodie discovered it in 1873 by submitting electric current to carbon monoxide.^[1][2] Marcellin Berthelot created the name carbon suboxide,
^[3]
while Otto Diels later stated that the more organic names dicarbonyl methane and dioxallene were also correct.
It is synthesized by warming a dry mixture of phosphorus pentoxide (P₄O₁₀) and malonic acid or the esters of malonic acid. ^[4]
Several other ways for synthesis and reactions of carbon suboxide can be found in a review from 1930 by Reyerson.^[5]
Carbon suboxide polymerizes spontaneously to a red to black solid. The structure is postulated to be poly(α-pyronic).
^[6]
[7]

Contents

References

External links

References

1. Note on the Synthesis of Marsh-Gas and Formic Acid, and on the Electric Decomposition of Carbonic Oxide, Brodie B. C., , , Proceedings of the Royal Society (London), 1873
2. Ueber eine Synthese von Sumpfgas und Ameisensäure und die electrische Zersetzung des Kohlenoxyds, Brodie B. C., , , Annalen der Chemie, 1873
3. Action de la chaleur sur l'oxyde de carbone, Marcellin Berthelot, , , Annales de chimie et de physique, 1891
4. Ueber das Kohlensuboxyd. I, Diels O, Wolf B, , , Chemische Berichte, 1906
5. Carbon Suboxide, Reyerson L. H., Kobe K., , , Chemical Reviews, 1930
6.
Analysis of Poly(carbon suboxide) by Small-Angle X-ray Scattering, M. Ballauff, L. Li, S. Rosenfeldt, N. Dingenouts, J. Beck, P. Krieger-Beck, , , Angewandte Chemie International Edition,
7. The Structure of Carbon Suboxide, C₃O₂, in the Solid State, A. Ellern, T. Drews, K. Seppelt, , , ,

External links

★ WebElements page on compound's properties