Carbon Dioxide CO₂

Features

A colourless and odourless gas that can cause the nose to sting in high concentrations
Toxic in high concentrations
An asphyxiant (does not support life)
Slightly corrosive in the presence of moisture
Heavier than air, carbon dioxide will collect in ducts, drains and low-lying areas
Highly soluble in water at moderate temperatures
At elevated temperatures, carbon dioxide reacts with many substances
Cylinders of both liquid and gaseous carbon dioxide are available from BOC. Dip tubes are used in liquid withdrawal carbon dioxide cylinders to extract the liquid from the cylinder. The tube runs down the centre of the pressurised cylinder and draws the liquid up through the valve. To identify these cylinders, a white stripe is painted down the length of the cylinder

Higher density than air provides good blanketing properties
This chemical property has led to its use as a reactant in some chemical processes
BOC Industrial sells a range of electrical vaporisers which can be used for increasing flow rates

MIG-welding mild steel
For welding carbon and alloy steel and stainless steel with flux-cored wires
Shielding gas in plasma-cutting
Liquid for substrate cooling to control the heat build-up when thermal and plasma-spraying
BOC Industrial recommends the use of the Argoshield range as the preferred mild steel MIG-welding gas
Suitable for inerting applications
Balancing pH levels in swimming pools
Compressed liquid carbon dioxide can also be used in small pipe-freezing applications