Can CO be Broken Down into Carbon & Oxygen?

[zoobyshoe]

Is there any known way, however expensive or inconvenient, to break CO down into elemental carbon and oxygen?

 

[Drakkith]

Could you ionize it using electricity?

 

[DrDu]

Simple thermolysis by >2000 K
http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j...5YGAAQ&usg=AFQjCNFsYhHUFLoChC4nG27A2DzZUtPwVg

 

[chill_factor]

having a metal surface helps too.

 

[JohnRC]

CO has the strongest bond of any known (or possible) molecular compound -- stronger even than nitrogen gas. Breaking it into elements requires extreme temperatures. I am a little surprised that it can be achieved with temperatures as low as 2000 K.

The molecule can be broken down by sequestration of the oxygen; the crystallization energy for gaseous carbon to graphite, and the combustion energy for many metals to oxides would provide driving forces that, taken together, could easily overcome the very strong bonding in carbon monoxide.

 

[DrDu]

You are right, this is difficult in one step, but
CO disproportionates already at relatively low temperatures into C and CO2, although this requires some catalysator, as CO is thermodynamically unstable with respect to this disproportionation already at normal temperature. Hence generation of C is the trivial part. On the other hand, CO2 disproportionates at higher temperatures into CO and O2. Taken together this seems to me a perfectly viable cycle to decompose CO into C and O2.