can we convert co2 to 02 using chemical methods
Answers
Explanation:
The team found that if you shoot carbon dioxide at an inert surface like gold foil, the molecule can be split to form molecular oxygen and atomic carbon.
The team says the reactor works in a similar fashion to a particle accelerator. The CO2 molecules are first ionized and then accelerated using an electric field, before being slammed into the gold surface. In its current form the yield is pretty low – only creating about one or two oxygen molecules for every 100 CO2 molecules fired – but it's an intriguing proof of concept that could be scaled up in the future.
In fact, the researchers say the reaction occurs in nature. The concept began as an attempt to explain the unexpected discovery of molecular oxygen on comets. After the Rosetta spacecraft detected the gas streaming out of Comet 67P, it was originally believed that the oxygen must have been locked away in the rock for billions of years.