Carbon trioxide

Carbon trioxide (CO3) is an unstable product of reactions between carbon dioxide, CO2, and atomic oxygen, O. It is different from the carbonate ion (CO32-). It has also been detected in reactions between carbon monoxide, CO, and molecular oxygen, O2. Among other places it has been shown to be created in the drift zone of a negative corona discharge. This pathway arises from reactions between carbon dioxide and atomic oxygen ions, created from molecular oxygen by free electrons in the plasma.



Three possible isomers of carbon trioxide exist, denoted Cs, D3h, and C2v. The C2v state has been shown by various studies to be the ground state of the molecule.