Carbon dioxide (CO2), under normal temperature and pressure conditions, is a gas. This gas abides in Earth’s atmosphere. The concentration of CO2 in the air changes slightly depending on the season. Its concentration in the air drops during spring and summer and increases in the fall and winter. This time or seasonal pattern of CO2 concentration is in correlation with plants. In spring and summer plants consume the gas, while in fall and winter they lay dormant and decay.
Carbon dioxide has its integral part in the process of photosynthesis. By means of photosynthesis, plants produce sugars that they consume as an energy source, polysaccharides and other organic compounds.
The way in which this gas is generated is associated with volcanic activity, hot springs and geysers. Plus, burning fossil fuels produce this gas as a by-product. Carbon dioxide belongs to the greenhouse gas category.
Carbon dioxide was described as a substance separate from air in the 17th century by Flemish chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont. He was burning charcoal and noticed that the original mass of charcoal had been much larger than what remained after it was burnt. He concluded that the missing mass had been transmuted into a “gas”.
