The key difference between radon and carbon monoxide is that the effects of exposure to radon take longer to appear, whereas the effects of exposure to carbon monoxide take a short time to appear.
Radon and carbon monoxide are important inorganic compounds. Both these are invisible, tasteless, and odorless.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Radon
3. What is Carbon Monoxide
4. Radon vs Carbon Monoxide in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Radon vs Carbon Monoxide
What is Radon?
Radon is a noble gas having the chemical symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive element due to its large atomic number, which also makes it unstable. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless noble gas. Naturally, this element occurs in the intermediate steps of the radioactive decay of thorium and uranium. Radon is the intermediate decay product of radium. The atomic mass of the most common and stable isotope of radon is 222. However, the half-life of this stable isotope is about 3.8 days. Since its decay occurs quickly, radon is among the rarest chemical elements on Earth.
Radon is a p-block element in group 18 and period 6. It has a complete electronic structure according to the octet rule. It has minus values for melting point and boiling point, which makes it an essential gas at room temperature and pressure conditions. In addition, it has a face-centered cubic crystal structure. When considering its magnetic properties, it is non-magnetic because there are no unpaired electrons in radon atoms. Moreover, it is the densest noble gas, and it is an inert gas.
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless flammable gas having the chemical formula CO. This gas is slightly less dense than air. At high concentrations, carbon monoxide is toxic to animals who use haemoglobin as the oxygen carrier in the blood. This gas is also known as carbonous oxide, carbon(II) oxide, flue gas, and monoxide.
When considering the chemical structure of carbon monoxide, it contains one carbon atom bonded to one oxygen atom through a triple bond containing two pi bonds and one sigma bond. We can identify carbon monoxide as the simplest oxocarbon, and it is isoelectronic with other triple-bonded diatomic species having ten valence electrons, e.g. cyanide ion.
There are different preparation methods for carbon monoxide, including the partial oxidation of carbon-containing compounds such as carbon dioxide. Another important source is coal gas. Iron smelting also produces this toxic gas as a byproduct.
What is the Difference Between Radon and Carbon Monoxide?
Both radon and carbon monoxide are invisible, tasteless, and odorless. But they are different from each other. The key difference between radon and carbon monoxide is that the effects of exposure to radon take longer to appear, whereas the effects of exposure to carbon monoxide take a short time to appear. The symptoms of exposure to radon include persistent cough, hoarseness, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain, loss of appetite, etc., while the effects of exposure to carbon monoxide include headache, dizziness, chest and muscle pain, shortness of breath, feeling weak, confusion, etc.
The below infographic presents the differences between radon and carbon monoxide in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Radon vs Carbon Monoxide
Radon is a noble gas having the chemical symbol Rn and atomic number 86, while Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless flammable gas having the chemical formula CO. The key difference between radon and carbon monoxide is that the effects of exposure to radon take longer to appear, whereas the effects of exposure to carbon monoxide take a short time to appear.
Reference:
1. “Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.” NHS Choices, NHS.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Atome de Radon” (CC0) via Free SVG
2. “Carbon monoxide 3D balls” By Benjah-bmm27 – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia