can't find any online. just a couple things, like what it's used in, etc.thanks!
I'm guessing you'd like information on the polyatomic carbonate (CO3)2- and not cobalt (Co). Carbonate is the main anion in rocks like marble (calcium carbonate), limestone (calcium carbonate) and dolomite (magnesium and calcium carbonate). Carbonate rocks maintain a constant, relatively high pH (7.5 - 8.0) and high degree of hardness (dH) in bodies of water like the Great Lakes (US and Canada) and the Rift Valley lakes (Malawi, Tanzania, etc.), providing a stable environment for native species. Carbonate rocks are also the source of hard water in municipal water supplies. Marble and limestone have been used in sculpture and architecture in nearly every human civilization, from Mesopotamians temples 10,000 BCE to the facing of modern skyscrapers. Marble, an igneous carbonate rock, is an important sculpture material. Carbonate reacts with acid to give off carbon dioxide. This is why acid rain damages marble sculptures. This also has an environmental implact - if too much carbon dioxide is released from carbonate rocks by acid water, it could contribute substantially to the greenhouse effect and increase global warming. In biology, carbonate is the main anion in mollusk shells. It's also an important pH buffer in mammalian and avian blood.
Carbon can't have six bonds, pure and simple. It can only have four. So there is one O atom double-bonded to the C, and two O-minus atoms single-bonded to the C.
