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coal monoxide is a slow burning gas I've never seen anyone refer to CO as "coal monoxide" before.

• taejo 9y ago
  It looks like the author's first language may be Dutch, where carbon monoxide is "koolmonoxid" and "kool" can mean both "coal" and "carbon" (although there are more specific words for coal such as "steenkool" = "stone carbon").
  • alkonaut 9y ago
    Same in most Germanic/Scandinavian languages I believe. Carbon and Coal are synonymous. Coal as in coal power, coal barbecue, and the element carbon use the same word. That’s not a coincidence. Apart from some exotic forms like diamonds, trees or rabbits (less pure), coal is how we normally encounter carbon.
    • jakobegger 9y ago
      In German "Kohle" means coal, and "Kohlenstoff" is carbon. It's not the same word. (But carbon monoxide is "Kohlenmonoxid")
      • CptMauli 9y ago
        But "Kohlenstoffmonoxid" is the actual correct term. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlenstoffmonoxid https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlenstoffmonoxid
      • marvin 9y ago
        "Kullos" = "coal fumes" is a term for carbon monoxide in Norwegian.
    • Qwertious 9y ago
      >Apart from some exotic forms like diamonds, trees or rabbits (less pure), coal is how we normally encounter carbon. Also graphite. But yeah, coal is basically the purest form of carbon in common bulk usage.
    • gambiting 9y ago
      The same in Polish, which is a Slavic language - Carbon Monoxide is "Tlenek Węgla" - and "Węgiel" literally means coal.
      • TomMarius 9y ago
        Same in Czech. "Kyslicnik uhlicity", and "uhli" means coal (plural).
  • vkou 9y ago
    In Russian, Carbon is "Uglerod", whereas coal is "Ugle". CO, when not referred to by its colloquial name, would be "Uglekislorod" - literally, Coal-oxide.