Sciencemadness Discussion Board

How many errors can you spot in this article?

BromicAcid - 15-7-2009 at 17:41

Found this today while looking for azide disposal methods. There are several things in this article that are blatantly wrong. There are other things that are only slightly inaccurate, and still others that seem to have questionable accuracy. It's pretty impressive for such a short article.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_16_157/ai_621...

12AX7 - 15-7-2009 at 19:20

That stuff isn't that basic, it should remain firmly in solution, no? He must've moistened it with acid (even a weak acid, but acid nonetheless).

Tim

The_Davster - 15-7-2009 at 19:59

Bingo.

and...
"plume of the gas to waft into residential neighborhoods or collect in sewers and tunnels."
...no... did not realize slow hydrolysis could trigger a "plume"

did they actually mean it when they said "hydrazoic acid (NaN3)" :P

"hydrazoic acid can oxidize into Harmless nitrogen dioxide--as the azide does when airbags inflate" :o
and
"It's the source of the nitrogen gas that inflates the devices."
Such competency!

"Though it oxidized the poison in seconds to minutes, Betterton reports, the azide could trigger ozone's destruction."
and
"We've shown that it can stay in the atmosphere for time scales that could range from minutes to hours"
Yes because in such a short time it will reach the heights needed to interact with ozone.

Moved to misc. in the hopes the origional authors may see it :D

Sedit - 15-7-2009 at 20:32

Quote:
Moved to misc. in the hopes the origional authors may see it


I would lose much faith in Science Madness if the author is floating around here gathering up information for this article. What a sad day that would be for this guy to use us as a reference eh. Because everyone knows how harmless NO2 is here.

bfesser - 15-7-2009 at 20:35

Don't you know that seventy some odd percent of the air we breathe is nitrogen dioxide? :P

12AX7 - 15-7-2009 at 20:50

Is it nitrogen dioxide? I know there's nitrogen, and oxygen, but aren't they more like 2:1 than 1:2? :P

Tim

Sedit - 15-7-2009 at 20:52

:o

starman - 15-7-2009 at 22:37

Quote: Originally posted by bfesser  
Don't you know that seventy some odd percent of the air we breathe is nitrogen dioxide? :P

:o Wow ,quickly dimerising to N2O4.I was wondering about the increasingly orange atmosphere.Should make for some cool sunsets if anyone is left alive to observe.

The_Davster - 16-7-2009 at 09:38

Quote: Originally posted by Sedit  
Quote:
Moved to misc. in the hopes the origional authors may see it


I would lose much faith in Science Madness if the author is floating around here gathering up information for this article. What a sad day that would be for this guy to use us as a reference eh. Because everyone knows how harmless NO2 is here.


I mean as Bromic hotlinked the article, the webmaster of the site with the horrible article can see which sites link to this article, and if the webmaster is curious as to who is discussing the article, it would be better to be in miscellaneous than in whimsy.

chemoleo - 16-7-2009 at 16:35

The article is a joke, a riduculisation of chemistry, and first class scaremongering.

I don't even know where to start - the best is that NaN3 decompositions give nitrogen oxides (has the article been removed while I've been reading this? I can't call it up anymore)


Nonetheless it is a fair point that car dealers, and particularly those that are involved in car crushing and recycling, are aware of the NaN3 it may contain. 200 grams? That's quite a lot!

Also I wondered - how is NaN3 lead to detonate, in a car? First, it isn't sensitive as an explosive at all. Secondly it needs to happen in a fraction of a second.

JohnWW - 16-7-2009 at 16:57

Quote: Originally posted by bfesser  
Don't you know that seventy some odd percent of the air we breathe is nitrogen dioxide?
Traces of that very toxic stuff might be produced by bolts of lightning, but that is all, and it would be short-lived due to further reaction and dissolution as HNO3 and HNO2. With the atmosphere presently consisting of (when dry) 21% O2, 78% N2, 1% Ar, and traces of other inert gases and CO2, prolonged electric arcing in a sample of air under great pressure may ultimately lead to formation of mixed nitrogen oxides especially N2O, along with O3.

barbs09 - 16-7-2009 at 17:36

With this calibre of reporting it is little wonder that the great unwashed have a general fear of chemistry and science! It makes our job as science advocates all the more important otherwise the whole next generation of kids will grow up under an umbrella of ignorance.

gsd - 16-7-2009 at 19:09

Quote: Originally posted by 12AX7  
Is it nitrogen dioxide? I know there's nitrogen, and oxygen, but aren't they more like 2:1 than 1:2? :P

Tim


LOL The 2:1 proportion of N2 and O2 is in the compound Nitrous Oxide N2O. More commonly known as "Laughing Gas" :P

If all N2 and O2 in the atmosphere were to be in chemically combined state then this world would be a merry place. :)

gsd

bfesser - 16-7-2009 at 20:42

JohnWW, my statement about the composition of the atmosphere was in sarcasm. A joke. Thanks, for the refresher on the ratios, though.

12AX7 - 16-7-2009 at 22:58

Also don't forget that common table salt is made from two deadly elements, highly inflammable sodium metal and poisonous chlorine gas.

Tim