Great letter from Tom Swiler in today’s ABQJournal:

I propose that carbon dioxide should also be known by the name “carba.” Other oxides are known as the elemental root followed by an “a.” For example, aluminum oxide is known as alumina and silicon dioxide is known as silica.

Like the name “water,” “carba” is not as chemically descriptive as the formal name of the compound it represents, but it is short and sweet, and it could keep us from slipping further into flawed terminology and therefore a flawed understanding regarding carbon dioxide.