Misplaced Pages

#929070

57-401: The recent history of Balvano is connected to several catastrophes. In 1944, a steam train stalled in a nearby railway tunnel, suffocating over 500 people. It was also one of the towns nearly destroyed by the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . This Basilicata location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Balvano train disaster The Balvano train disaster

114-408: A carbonate as byproduct: Thermal combustion is the most common source for carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is produced from the partial oxidation of carbon -containing compounds; it forms when there is not enough oxygen to produce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), such as when operating a stove or an internal combustion engine in an enclosed space. A large quantity of CO byproduct is formed during

171-487: A carbon monoxide presence. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common type of fatal air poisoning in many countries. Acute exposure can also lead to long-term neurological effects such as cognitive and behavioural changes. Severe CO poisoning may lead to unconsciousness, coma and death. Chronic exposure to low concentrations of carbon monoxide may lead to lethargy, headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms and neuropsychological and cardiovascular issues. Carbon monoxide has

228-509: A composition of an American diesel locomotive and an Italian steam locomotive was used in place of a double steam drive. Furthermore, at the south exit of the Armi tunnel a permanent guard post was established, which allowed trains to enter the gallery only when exhaust gases from previous trains had cleared. The guard post remained in place until 1959, when all steam trains were banned from the line. The weight regulations were repealed in 1996, when

285-406: A dative or dipolar bond . This causes a C←O polarization of the molecule, with a small negative charge on carbon and a small positive charge on oxygen. The other two bonding orbitals are each occupied by one electron from carbon and one from oxygen, forming (polar) covalent bonds with a reverse C→O polarization since oxygen is more electronegative than carbon. In the free carbon monoxide molecule,

342-417: A full bond. Thus, in valence bond terms, C≡O is the most important structure, while :C=O is non-octet, but has a neutral formal charge on each atom and represents the second most important resonance contributor. Because of the lone pair and divalence of carbon in this resonance structure, carbon monoxide is often considered to be an extraordinarily stabilized carbene . Isocyanides are compounds in which

399-518: A large volume of carbon monoxide , an odorless and poisonous gas, a particularly severe problem in Italy's railway network , which crosses mostly mountainous land, and hence makes large use of tunnels with steep inclines of up to 3.5%. In February 1944, similar conditions resulted in one death on the Battipaglia–Metaponto railway when a man was poisoned by poor-quality coal exhaust. He fainted,

456-548: A ligand, CO binds through carbon, forming a kind of triple bond. The lone pair on the carbon atom donates electron density to form a M-CO sigma bond . The two π* orbitals on CO bind to filled metal orbitals. The effect is related to the Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model . The effects of the quasi-triple M-C bond is reflected in the infrared spectrum of these complexes. Whereas free CO vibrates at 2143 cm-1, its complexes tend to absorb near 1950 cm-1. [REDACTED] In

513-540: A mixture of an organometallic compound, potassium acetylenediolate 2 K · C 2 O 2 , potassium benzenehexolate 6 K C 6 O 6 , and potassium rhodizonate 2 K · C 6 O 6 . The compounds cyclohexanehexone or triquinoyl (C 6 O 6 ) and cyclopentanepentone or leuconic acid (C 5 O 5 ), which so far have been obtained only in trace amounts, can be regarded as polymers of carbon monoxide. At pressures exceeding 5 GPa , carbon monoxide converts to polycarbonyl ,

570-417: A net negative charge δ remains at the carbon end and the molecule has a small dipole moment of 0.122  D . The molecule is therefore asymmetric: oxygen is more electron dense than carbon and is also slightly positively charged compared to carbon being negative. Carbon monoxide has a computed fractional bond order of 2.6, indicating that the "third" bond is important but constitutes somewhat less than

627-540: A solid polymer that is metastable at atmospheric pressure but is explosive. Carbon monoxide is conveniently produced in the laboratory by the dehydration of formic acid or oxalic acid , for example with concentrated sulfuric acid . Another method is heating an intimate mixture of powdered zinc metal and calcium carbonate , which releases CO and leaves behind zinc oxide and calcium oxide : Silver nitrate and iodoform also afford carbon monoxide: Finally, metal oxalate salts release CO upon heating, leaving

SECTION 10

#1732764648930

684-431: A total of 10 electrons in the valence shell . Following the octet rule for both carbon and oxygen, the two atoms form a triple bond , with six shared electrons in three bonding molecular orbitals, rather than the usual double bond found in organic carbonyl compounds. Since four of the shared electrons come from the oxygen atom and only two from carbon, one bonding orbital is occupied by two electrons from oxygen, forming

741-525: A week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which prompted an increase in illegal ridership on freight trains. In attempt to prevent criticism, the Ministry of Treasury issued to the families of all identified victims the same compensation which was given for war victims (although it was paid more than 15 years afterwards). After the disaster, a limit of 350 tonnes was introduced on the entire line. In addition, for particularly heavy trains requiring two locomotives,

798-458: A wide range of functions across all disciplines of chemistry. The four premier categories of reactivity involve metal-carbonyl catalysis, radical chemistry, cation and anion chemistries. Most metals form coordination complexes containing covalently attached carbon monoxide. These derivatives, which are called metal carbonyls , tend to be more robust when the metal is in lower oxidation states. For example iron pentacarbonyl (Fe(CO) 5 )

855-467: Is isoelectronic with both cyanide anion CN and molecular nitrogen N 2 . Carbon monoxide is the simplest oxocarbon and is isoelectronic with other triply bonded diatomic species possessing 10 valence electrons, including the cyanide anion, the nitrosonium cation, boron monofluoride and molecular nitrogen . It has a molar mass of 28.0, which, according to the ideal gas law , makes it slightly less dense than air, whose average molar mass

912-410: Is 1,968 metres (2,152 yd) long with a 1.3% incline. As the engines entered the tunnel, the wheels started to slide on the rails (which were wet due to humidity), despite the use of sand boxes , and the train lost speed until it stopped, with almost all the cars inside the tunnel. The air was already filled with smoke since another train had passed shortly before, and the drivers' effort to restart

969-670: Is 28.8. The carbon and oxygen are connected by a triple bond that consists of a net two pi bonds and one sigma bond . The bond length between the carbon atom and the oxygen atom is 112.8  pm . This bond length is consistent with a triple bond, as in molecular nitrogen (N 2 ), which has a similar bond length (109.76 pm) and nearly the same molecular mass . Carbon–oxygen double bonds are significantly longer, 120.8 pm in formaldehyde , for example. The boiling point (82 K) and melting point (68 K) are very similar to those of N 2 (77 K and 63 K, respectively). The bond-dissociation energy of 1072 kJ/mol

1026-551: Is an air-stable, distillable liquid. Nickel carbonyl is an example of a metal carbonyl complex that forms by the direct combination of carbon monoxide with the metal: C. Elschenbroich (2006). Organometallics . VCH. ISBN   978-3-527-29390-2 . These volatile complexes are often highly toxic. Some metal–CO complexes are prepared by decarbonylation of organic solvents, not from CO. For instance, iridium trichloride and triphenylphosphine react in boiling 2-methoxyethanol or DMF to afford IrCl(CO)(PPh 3 ) 2 . As

1083-488: Is formed during the formation of NO 2 , the balance of the sequence of chemical reactions starting with carbon monoxide and leading to the formation of ozone is: (where hν refers to the photon of light absorbed by the NO 2 molecule in the sequence) Although the creation of NO 2 is the critical step leading to low level ozone formation, it also increases this ozone in another, somewhat mutually exclusive way, by reducing

1140-670: Is high enough (for instance in an underground sea), formic acid will be formed: These reactions can take place in a few million years even at temperatures such as found on Pluto. Carbon monoxide is a temporary atmospheric pollutant in some urban areas, chiefly from the exhaust of internal combustion engines (including vehicles, portable and back-up generators, lawnmowers, power washers, etc.), but also from incomplete combustion of various other fuels (including wood, coal, charcoal, oil, paraffin, propane, natural gas, and trash). Large CO pollution events can be observed from space over cities. Carbon monoxide is, along with aldehydes , part of

1197-525: Is present in small amounts (about 80 ppb ) in the Earth's atmosphere . Most of the rest comes from chemical reactions with organic compounds emitted by human activities and natural origins due to photochemical reactions in the troposphere that generate about 5 × 10 kilograms per year. Other natural sources of CO include volcanoes, forest and bushfires , and other miscellaneous forms of combustion such as fossil fuels . Small amounts are also emitted from

SECTION 20

#1732764648930

1254-499: Is stronger than that of N 2 (942 kJ/mol) and represents the strongest chemical bond known. The ground electronic state of carbon monoxide is a singlet state since there are no unpaired electrons. The strength of the C-O bond in carbon monoxide is indicated by the high frequency of its vibration, 2143 cm . For comparison, organic carbonyls such as ketones and esters absorb at around 1700 cm . Carbon and oxygen together have

1311-445: Is the most common type of fatal air poisoning in many countries. Carbon monoxide has important biological roles across phylogenetic kingdoms. It is produced by many organisms, including humans. In mammalian physiology, carbon monoxide is a classical example of hormesis where low concentrations serve as an endogenous neurotransmitter ( gasotransmitter ) and high concentrations are toxic resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning . It

1368-575: Is the second-most common diatomic molecule in the interstellar medium , after molecular hydrogen . Because of its asymmetry, this polar molecule produces far brighter spectral lines than the hydrogen molecule, making CO much easier to detect. Interstellar CO was first detected with radio telescopes in 1970. It is now the most commonly used tracer of molecular gas in general in the interstellar medium of galaxies, as molecular hydrogen can only be detected using ultraviolet light, which requires space telescopes . Carbon monoxide observations provide much of

1425-402: Is the simplest carbon oxide . In coordination complexes , the carbon monoxide ligand is called carbonyl . It is a key ingredient in many processes in industrial chemistry. The most common source of carbon monoxide is the partial combustion of carbon-containing compounds. Numerous environmental and biological sources generate carbon monoxide. In industry, carbon monoxide is important in

1482-412: Is very little CO in the atmosphere of Pluto , which seems to have been formed from comets. This may be because there is (or was) liquid water inside Pluto. Carbon monoxide can react with water to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen: This is called the water-gas shift reaction when occurring in the gas phase, but it can also take place (very slowly) in an aqueous solution. If the hydrogen partial pressure

1539-453: The hydroxyl radical , OH) that would otherwise destroy methane. Through natural processes in the atmosphere, it is oxidized to carbon dioxide and ozone. Carbon monoxide is short-lived in the atmosphere (with an average lifetime of about one to two months), and spatially variable in concentration. Due to its long lifetime in the mid-troposphere, carbon monoxide is also used as a tracer for pollutant plumes. Beyond Earth, carbon monoxide

1596-410: The "silent killer". It can be found in confined areas of poor ventilation in both surface mines and underground mines. The most common sources of carbon monoxide in mining operations are the internal combustion engine and explosives; however, in coal mines, carbon monoxide can also be found due to the low-temperature oxidation of coal. The idiom " Canary in the coal mine " pertained to an early warning of

1653-428: The O is replaced by an NR (R = alkyl or aryl) group and have a similar bonding scheme. If carbon monoxide acts as a ligand , the polarity of the dipole may reverse with a net negative charge on the oxygen end, depending on the structure of the coordination complex . See also the section "Coordination chemistry" below. Theoretical and experimental studies show that, despite the greater electronegativity of oxygen,

1710-459: The complex end-of-war set up (where Italian authorities coexisted with the US command) they could not even immediately determine who had the responsibility for the management of one particular train. However the company could be blamed because at that time, despite the high demand on the route between Naples and Potenza, there was only one scheduled passenger train (train 8021), which left from Naples twice

1767-436: The dipole moment points from the more-negative carbon end to the more-positive oxygen end. The three bonds are in fact polar covalent bonds that are strongly polarized. The calculated polarization toward the oxygen atom is 71% for the σ-bond and 77% for both π-bonds . The oxidation state of carbon in carbon monoxide is +2 in each of these structures. It is calculated by counting all the bonding electrons as belonging to

Balvano - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-549: The information about the molecular clouds in which most stars form . Beta Pictoris , the second brightest star in the constellation Pictor , shows an excess of infrared emission compared to normal stars of its type, which is caused by large quantities of dust and gas (including carbon monoxide) near the star. In the atmosphere of Venus carbon monoxide occurs as a result of the photodissociation of carbon dioxide by electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths shorter than 169 nm . It has also been identified spectroscopically on

1881-414: The line was electrified. 40°40′09″N 15°30′07″E  /  40.66917°N 15.50194°E  / 40.66917; 15.50194 Carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide ( chemical formula CO ) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond . It

1938-488: The low-quality coal, the lack of ventilation in the tunnel, the wet rails, and the fact that the train had a double heading instead of a push–pull configuration . The lack of coordination between the drivers of the two locomotives was the proximate cause . In addition, the death toll was aggravated by the delay in rescue efforts. Despite this, the commission which inquired into the accident did not pursue those responsible, and considered it as caused by force majeure . At

1995-439: The main sources of indoor CO emission come from cooking and heating devices that burn fossil fuels and are faulty, incorrectly installed or poorly maintained. Appliance malfunction may be due to faulty installation or lack of maintenance and proper use. In low- and middle-income countries the most common sources of CO in homes are burning biomass fuels and cigarette smoke. Miners refer to carbon monoxide as " whitedamp " or

2052-468: The more electronegative oxygen. Only the two non-bonding electrons on carbon are assigned to carbon. In this count, carbon then has only two valence electrons in the molecule compared to four in the free atom. Carbon monoxide occurs in various natural and artificial environments. Photochemical degradation of plant matter for example generates an estimated 60 million tons/year. Typical concentrations in parts per million are as follows: Carbon monoxide (CO)

2109-576: The ocean, and from geological activity because carbon monoxide occurs dissolved in molten volcanic rock at high pressures in the Earth's mantle . Because natural sources of carbon monoxide vary from year to year, it is difficult to accurately measure natural emissions of the gas. Carbon monoxide has an indirect effect on radiative forcing by elevating concentrations of direct greenhouse gases , including methane and tropospheric ozone . CO can react chemically with other atmospheric constituents (primarily

2166-404: The oxidative processes for the production of chemicals. For this reason, the process off-gases have to be purified. Many methods have been developed for carbon monoxide production. A major industrial source of CO is producer gas , a mixture containing mostly carbon monoxide and nitrogen, formed by combustion of carbon in air at high temperature when there is an excess of carbon. In an oven, air

2223-482: The presence of metal catalysts. With main group reagents, CO undergoes several noteworthy reactions. Chlorination of CO is the industrial route to the important compound phosgene . With borane CO forms the adduct H 3 BCO , which is isoelectronic with the acylium cation [H 3 CCO] . CO reacts with sodium to give products resulting from C−C coupling such as sodium acetylenediolate 2 Na · C 2 O 2 . It reacts with molten potassium to give

2280-538: The presence of strong acids, alkenes react with carboxylic acids . Hydrolysis of this species (an acylium ion ) gives the carboxylic acid, a net process known as the Koch–Haaf reaction . In the Gattermann–Koch reaction , arenes are converted to benzaldehyde derivatives in the presence of CO, AlCl 3 , and HCl . A mixture of hydrogen gas and CO reacts with alkenes to give aldehydes. The process requires

2337-554: The production of many compounds, including drugs, fragrances, and fuels. Upon emission into the atmosphere, carbon monoxide affects several processes that contribute to climate change . Indoors CO is one of the most acutely toxic contaminants affecting indoor air quality . CO may be emitted from tobacco smoke and generated from malfunctioning fuel burning stoves (wood, kerosene, natural gas, propane) and fuel burning heating systems (wood, oil, natural gas) and from blocked flues connected to these appliances. Carbon monoxide poisoning

Balvano - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-476: The provisions for the train came straight from the Allied Command , so railway workers could not stop the train and change its composition. The Command itself organized a train to check the condition of the disaster, with staff equipped with oxygen masks, which recognized the actual development of abnormal amounts of toxic gases. Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane declined all responsibility, claiming that in

2451-418: The quantity of NO that is available to react with ozone. Carbon monoxide is one of the most acutely toxic indoor air contaminants . Carbon monoxide may be emitted from tobacco smoke and generated from malfunctioning fuel burning stoves (wood, kerosene, natural gas, propane) and fuel burning heating systems (wood, oil, natural gas) and from blocked flues connected to these appliances. In developed countries

2508-448: The roadmap. However, in the wartime confusion it was usual for communications to be irregular, and trains could be greatly delayed. It was not uncommon that it would take over two hours to travel the mountainous 7 km between the two stations. The staff of the train and of the stations along the route were also blamed, because they allowed such a heavy train to continue even if they knew that its engines were not powerful enough. However

2565-510: The series of cycles of chemical reactions that form photochemical smog . It reacts with hydroxyl radical ( OH) to produce a radical intermediate HOCO, which rapidly transfers its radical hydrogen to O 2 to form peroxy radical (HO 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Peroxy radical subsequently reacts with nitrogen oxide (NO) to form nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and hydroxyl radical. NO 2 gives O( P) via photolysis, thereby forming O 3 following reaction with O 2 . Since hydroxyl radical

2622-500: The southern part of the peninsula (almost fully conquered by Allied forces) suffered severe wartime shortages, encouraging an extensive black market . People in large cities such as Naples began bartering fresh produce for commodities brought by servicemen, and stowed away on freight trains to reach their suppliers' farms. The railway companies also suffered shortages of good-quality coal. The burning of low-grade substitutes in locomotives reduced their power output and produced

2679-409: The station. At 05:25 a locomotive reached the site but the many corpses on the track prevented it from removing the train from the tunnel; only some forty survivors in the last wagons could be assisted. At 08:40 a second rescue team arrived which hauled the train back to the station. Among the crew, only the one brakeman, and the second locomotive's fireman, survived. Due to the large number of corpses,

2736-433: The surface of Neptune's moon Triton . Solid carbon monoxide is a component of comets . The volatile or "ice" component of Halley's Comet is about 15% CO. At room temperature and at atmospheric pressure, carbon monoxide is actually only metastable (see Boudouard reaction ) and the same is true at low temperatures where CO and CO 2 are solid, but nevertheless it can exist for billions of years in comets. There

2793-446: The time, the catastrophe was attributed mainly to: "A combination of material causes, such as dense fog, atmospheric haze, complete lack of wind, which did not keep the natural ventilation of the tunnel, wet rails, etc., causes that unfortunately occurred all at once and in rapid succession. The train stopped because it slid on the rails and the staff of the machines had been overwhelmed by the produced gas, before they could act to move

2850-468: The train arrived in the Balvano-Ricigliano station , making it the last before the disaster, where it stopped for maintenance on the engines. At 00:50 the train restarted towards the adjoining Bella-Muro station , and reached a speed of about 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph). After 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) of travel, it approached the narrow and poorly ventilated Armi tunnel, which

2907-424: The train caused the locomotives to produce even more carbon monoxide –laden smoke. As a result, the crew and stowaways were asphyxiated, so slowly that they failed to realize what was happening to them. Most died in their sleep. Of the few survivors most were in the last few wagons, which were still in the open air. At some point, the driver of the 476 locomotive tried to engage the reverse gear in an attempt to exit

SECTION 50

#1732764648930

2964-399: The train out of the tunnel. Due to the presence of carbon monoxide, extraordinarily poisonous, it produced the asphyxiation of stowaways. The action of this gas is so rapid, that the tragedy occurred before any aid could be brought from the outside." The station masters of Balvano and Bella-Muro were blamed because they did not act to determine the location of the train when it appeared late on

3021-529: The tunnel, but he fainted before succeeding. Moreover, he could not communicate with the driver of the other engine (which in fact continued to push in the forward direction) because the 476 was an Austrian-built engine with right-hand drive, while the 480 had left-hand drive as usual in Italian railways. At 05:10 the Balvano station master learned of the disaster from last car's brakeman, who had walked back to

3078-468: The wartime lack of resources, and the poverty of many of the victims, only the train staff received a proper burial; stowaways were buried without a religious service in four common graves at the Balvano cemetery. The poisoning was the result of many factors. The root cause was the lack of supervision by railway authorities, who tolerated a large number of stowaways on the train. Contributing factors were

3135-403: Was crushed between the engine and the tender, and died. No corrective action was taken to prevent recurrences. In the evening of 2 March 1944 the freight train 8017 started from Naples heading to Potenza . It consisted of 47 freight wagons and had a remarkable mass of 520 tonnes; it also carried many illegal passengers. The first part of the journey took place on flat railway, and the train

3192-419: Was pulled by an E.626 electric engine. At 19:00 the train left Battipaglia and entered the steeper, non-electrified Battipaglia–Metaponto railway ; the electric engine had been replaced by two steam engines (the 480.016 followed by the 476.058 ). In Eboli some stowaways were forced off, but more boarded on following stops until they numbered about 600, making the train grossly overloaded. At midnight,

3249-423: Was the deadliest railway accident in Italian history and one of the worst railway disasters ever. It occurred on the night between 2–3 March 1944 in Balvano , Basilicata . Over 500 people in a steam-hauled, coal-burning freight train (mostly stowaways ) died of carbon monoxide poisoning during a protracted stall in a tunnel. In 1943 , Axis Italy was invaded by British and American armed forces, and

#929070