video tutorial Carbon monoxide preparation, and how it is deadly

Summary

• Objective: compare three methods to generate carbon monoxide (CO) and discuss its hazards.
• Method 1: dehydration of formic acid with concentrated sulfuric acid; produced CO gas indicated by a blue flame; identified as the workable method.
• Method 2: dehydration of anhydrous oxalic acid with sulfuric acid; yielded a mixture of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; gas evolution was slow and foaming; not convenient for a clean CO supply.
• Method 3: decomposition using sulfuric acid and anhydrous potassium ferrocyanide; produced little gas; slow and impractical; dilute sulfuric acid can produce hydrogen cyanide, which is extremely dangerous.
• Setup: a larger apparatus was demonstrated to control gas production and plan absorption of CO2 to isolate CO if needed.
• Safety: CO is deadly; it binds to iron in hemoglobin and myoglobin, blocking oxygen transport and causing brain/heart failure; detectors are advised.
• Demonstration: CO binding to myoglobin in meat juices color-changes, illustrating poisoning mechanism and providing a visual test.
• Conclusion: CO has limited practical use in normal lab chemistry; observation via flame/color tests is typical, with emphasis on safety and detection.