carbon monoxide

noun

1. a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas, CO, that burns with a pale-blue flame, produced when carbon burns with insufficient air: used chiefly in organic synthesis, metallurgy, and in the preparation of metal carbonyls, as nickel carbonyl.

carbon monoxide

noun

1. a colourless odourless poisonous flammable gas formed when carbon compounds burn in insufficient air and produced by the action of steam on hot carbon: used as a reducing agent in metallurgy and as a fuel. Formula: CO

Word History and Origins

Origin of carbon monoxide¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

A Scottish local authority is facing nearly 30 damages claims from families following a carbon monoxide leak at one of its primary schools.

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However, it is vital to ensure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow because highly toxic carbon monoxide gas could enter the car.

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Using gas heaters also carries the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, so you should ensure you have a working carbon monoxide alarm in the same room.

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Using gas heaters carries the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, so you should ensure you have a working carbon monoxide alarm in the same room.

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The resulting carbon monoxide can then be combined with hydrogen to make syngas, a fundamental building block used to produce synthetic fuels such as e-fuels* and methanol.

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