Basic Questions About CO₂

• What is carbon dioxide?
• Why is carbon dioxide written as CO₂?
• Is CO₂ bad? Is it dirty air?
• Where does CO₂ come from?
• Where is CO₂ found in nature?
• What is supercritical CO₂?
• When you make CO₂ from vinegar and baking soda, how do you know when the reaction is done?

Current Uses of Carbon Dioxide

• How is CO₂ used today? What are some common uses of CO₂?
• Why do scientists study CO₂? What research is being done with CO₂?
• How does CO₂ make things better for the environment?
• Why use CO₂ to clean things? What is wrong with soap and water?

Greenhouse Gas

• What is the "greenhouse effect"?
• Is the "greenhouse effect" the same as "global warming"?
• What will be the effect of a continued increase in greenhouse gases?
• I thought CO₂ was responsible for global warming. Why would we want to use more of it?

Solvents

• What is a solvent and a surfactant?
• Water is the "universal solvent". Why not use it? Wouldn't that be more "environmentally friendly" than CO₂?