do you know the difference between carbon dioxide & carbon monoxide

Question: do you know the difference between carbon dioxide & carbon monoxide

Asked by daleks707 to Laura, Lily, Mark, Paul, Sarah on 17 Jun 2010 in Categories: General.
- Paul Roche answered on 17 Jun 2010:
  
  Yes, they have slightly different letters in them…
  
  Monoxide has 1 oxygen, dioxide 2 – both are not good for you if you breathe them…
- Laura Maliszewski answered on 17 Jun 2010:
  
  Yup one is C-O (carbon monoxide- carbon and one oxygen) the other is O-C-O (carbon dioxide, carbon and two oxygen atoms).
- Sarah Bardsley answered on 17 Jun 2010:
  
  Sounds like you’re ready with a punch line!?
  
  My answer: 1 oxygen atom.
  
  Not very funny though. What is the difference between carbon dioxide & carbon monoxide?
- Mark Roberts answered on 17 Jun 2010:
  
  Well in short – 1 oxygen?
  
  So one has O=C=O and the other is O tripple bond C – so only has one oxygen.
  
  Carbon Monoxide is quite toxic as it can bind very strongly to the haemoglobin inside your body and prevents it from being able to carry oxygen
- Lily Asquith answered on 17 Jun 2010:
  
  Carbon dioxide has one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms (“di = 2”)
  Carbon monoxide has one carbon atom and one oxygen atoms (“mono” = 1)
  
  Carbon monoxide is extremely poisonous. I think this is because it wants to be carbon dioxide so it latches onto the oxygen atoms in your blood and basically suffocates you. Or something like that.

Question: do you know the difference between carbon dioxide & carbon monoxide