Understanding CO₂ Density:From Gases to Dry Ice

Af Jack Brubaker – Opdateret 30. august 2022

Vladimir_Timofeev/iStock/GettyImages

Kuldioxid (CO₂) cirkulerer i Jordens atmosfære med omkring 0,033 procent. It forms during animal respiration and hydrocarbon combustion. Unlike most gases, CO₂ does not liquidate at ambient temperatures; it sublimates—transiting directly from solid to gas.

Density Fundamentals

Density is the mass of a substance per unit volume, expressed in grams per milliliter (g/mL) or grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc). For gases, the metric is usually g/mL due to the small values involved.

Gasformig CO₂

At standard conditions (0 °C, 1 atm), CO₂ has a density of 0.001977 g/mL. This is marginally higher than air’s 0.001239 g/mL, making CO₂ slightly heavier and more prone to accumulate in low‑lying areas.

Fast CO₂ (tøris)

In its solid form—commonly called dry ice—CO₂’s density rises to 1.56 g/mL under standard conditions. For context, liquid water’s density is about 1.00 g/mL, so dry ice sinks when introduced to water.

These values are corroborated by data from the NIST Chemistry WebBook and other reputable chemical databases.

Understanding CO₂ density is essential for applications ranging from climate science to industrial processes.