Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide gas is known as the silent killer: you can’t smell it, you can’t taste it and you can’t see it. Each year, about 60 people die from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in England and Wales, and many more are treated in hospital for the effects of inhalation.

But scientists are fighting back with the aid of a protein complex thief that steal carbon monoxide, aiding detection and treatment. Read the article to find out how. Use the practice questions in the resource to challenge your 16–18 learners to apply their understanding of bonding, redox and equilibrium in transition metal chemistry to less familiar contexts, such as the haemoglobin complex ion and ligand exchange.