Is carbon monoxide a acid or alkaline solution?

Answer 1

First of all, Carbon Monoxide is a gas, not a solution. To find the acidity or alkalinity of a solution [the 'potential of hydrogen or the 'ph'] there has to be hydrogen present, which you do not have in CO, carbon monoxide. The first answer above needs a bit of clarification. Gasses often dissolve in liquid solvents to form solutions. Well known examples include Ammonia-Water, Chlorine-Water, Carbon Dioxide-Water, and Nitrogen Dioxide-Water. The amount of gas held in the solution depends on temperature, pressure, and sometimes, the presence of other chemicals (cosolvents or catalysts). Carbon monoxide (CO) also dissolves in water, though not as well as carbon dioxide (CO2). When CO dissolves in water, some amount of formic acid (HCOOH) is produced; the solution is thus weakly acidic. There are at least two industrial processes known to this writer that involve dissolving CO in water. In one, CO is dissolved in water to make an antibacterial rinse for meat processing. In the other, CO is dissolved in water for the express purpose of manufacturing formic acid. (Industrially, this reaction occurs at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of an amine. At room temperature, this reaction is energetically not very favorable.) See US Patent 5,334,759 (1994).