Question: Airbags have become a standard safety feature in modern automobiles. Several airbags are placed in the critical locations within automobiles and they inflate almost instantly upon impact to protect the occupants. 1. What chemical used to inflate these bags? 2. Why is this particular chemical chosen and how does it work? 3. Write a balanced chemical equation for the chemical reaction taking place. 4. Calculate the amount of the chemical needed if the manufactures want a bag of 8.9 L capacity to inflate. Assume that the reaction takes place at Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP).
Added by Alfredo L.
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The chemical used to inflate airbags is sodium azide (NaN3). Show more…
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The airbags that protect people in car crashes are inflated by the extremely rapid decomposition of sodium azide, which produces large volumes of nitrogen gas. 1. Write a balanced chemical equation, including physical state symbols, for the decomposition of solid sodium azide (NaN3) into solid sodium and gaseous dinitrogen. 2. Suppose 11.0 L of dinitrogen gas is produced by this reaction, at a temperature of 13.0°C and pressure of exactly 1 atm. Calculate the mass of sodium azide that must have reacted. Round your answer to 3 significant digits. Answer in grams.
Nicholas M.
A car safety airbag inflates due to the rapid decomposition of sodium azide into sodium metal and nitrogen gas: 2 NaN3(s) → 2 Na(s) + 3 N2(g) How much sodium azide is needed (in g) to pack inside an airbag that needs to inflate to 64 L? You can assume the temperature is 25 °C and pressure is 1 atm. Answer to zero decimal points. Ideal gas law: PV = nRT R = 0.08205 L·atm/mol·K MW(N2) = 28.02 g·mol-1 MW(NaN3) = 65.02 g·mol-1
Shyam P.
The air bags in your vehicle work using the following sets of reactions: 2NaN3 → 2Na +3N2 10Na + 2KNO3 → K2O + 5Na2O + N2 When your vehicle detects a collision, the sodium azide (NaN3) is activated (heated up) to start the decomposition reaction. This produces nitrogen gas and sodium metal. The sodium metal produced in the first reaction is then used in the second reaction to produce more nitrogen gas to inflate your airbag in your vehicle. Say a typical airbag contains 130. g of NaN3 and the temperatures inside your airbag are around 40°C with a normal air pressure of 1.0 atm. What volume of N2 gas is produced when your air bag is deployed (you must consider both reactions as they both produce nitrogen)?
Adi S.
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