Question

What is the total of O2 + CO2

Answer 1

Oxygen O2 is around 20% of the atmosphere and CO2 is around 0.04% of the atmosphere.

However even this small amount of CO2 in the atmosphere can prevent heat escaping from the earth causing the ‘Greenhouse Effect’

Burning wood, coal, oil, and natural gas produces carbon dioxide and unless we can reduce the amount that mankind produces, the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will increase and the world will get hotter and hotter.

Answer 2

The total of O2 + CO2 is not a mathematical expression that can be added together.

O2 and CO2 represent different chemical compounds: O2 refers to oxygen gas (two oxygen atoms bonded together), and CO2 refers to carbon dioxide (one carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms).

In chemistry, we do not add or combine the formulas of different compounds in the same way we add numbers. Instead, we use chemical reactions and equations to understand how elements and compounds interact and form new substances.