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How much sodium azide is in an airbag?
The driver-side airbag can is about 1 and 1/2 inches long and holds about 50 grams of sodium azide. The passenger-side airbag can is about six inches long and holds about 200 grams to inflate a bag big enough to fill the front-seat passenger area.
Why is nitrogen gas used in airbags?
Why is nitrogen gas used in airbags? Sensors in the front of a vehicle detect a collision sending an electrical signal to a canister that contains sodium azide detonating a small amount of an igniter compound. The heat from the ignition causes nitrogen gas to generate, fully inflating the airbag in .
Why is sodium azide used as a preservative?
Sodium azide (NaN3) is a highly water-soluble bacteriostatic preservative used to prevent bacterial contamination in aqueous laboratory reagents [1], especially in those containing proteins isolated from biological fluids.
Which gas is used to inflate car airbags?
The answer would be found in a fascinating chemical called sodium azide, NaN3. When this substance is ignited by a spark it releases nitrogen gas which can instantly inflate an airbag.
Can sodium azide kill you?
If you breathe in sodium azide or you ingest it, it can be a serious problem. If you ingest it, it will form a gas. So people in the emergency department need to be careful dealing with the body waste and vomit of anyone poisoned by sodium azide. It can cause seizures, coma, death.
What are the 3 main parts to an airbag?
The airbag module contains both an inflator unit and the lightweight fabric airbag. The airbag system consists of three basic parts: (1) An airbag module, (2) crash sensors, and (3) a diagnostic unit. Some systems may also have an on/off switch, which allows the airbag to be deactivated.
Is sodium azide poisonous?
Breathing the gas that is formed from sodium azide causes the most harm, but ingesting (swallowing) sodium azide can be toxic as well. The gas formed from sodium azide is most dangerous in enclosed places where the gas will be trapped. The toxic gas quickly disperses in open spaces, making it less harmful outdoors.
How do airbags keep us safe?
In severe accidents, this can cause your head to slam into the windshield or steering wheel. To prevent this from happening, airbags are used to slow down the momentum of your head. As your head hits the airbag, the nylon bag deflates so that your head does not end up bouncing back into the seat.
How much force is in an airbag?
In fact, the maximum pressure in an airbag is less than 5 psi—even in the middle of a crash event. Advanced airbags are multistage devices capable of adjusting inflation speed and pressure according to the size of the occupant requiring protection.
What causes sodium azide to explode in an airbag?
Sodium azide is best known as the chemical found in automobile airbags. An electrical charge triggered by automobile impact causes sodium azide to explode and convert to nitrogen gas inside the airbag.
What can sodium azide be used for on an airplane?
In the latter case, innocuous sodium silicates are generated. Sodium azide is also used in airplane escape chutes. Newer-generation air bags contain nitroguanidine or similar less sensitive explosives . Due to its explosion hazard, sodium azide is of only limited value in industrial-scale organic chemistry.
What happens to sodium azide during a car crash?
An electronic controller detonates this mixture during an automobile crash: The same reaction occurs upon heating the salt to approximately 300 °C. The sodium that is formed is a potential hazard alone and, in automobile airbags, it is converted by reaction with other ingredients, such as potassium nitrate and silica.
What happens when sodium azide is released into the air?
Following release of sodium azide into the air, you could be exposed by breathing in the dust or the gas that is formed. Sodium azide can also enter the body and cause symptoms through skin contact. An explosion involving sodium azide may cause burn injury as well as expose people to the toxic gas, hydrozoic acid. How sodium azide works