The Chemistry of Airbags Student Acti ity

Questions are being raised as to whether airbags should be mandatory, and whether their safety can be improved. How much does the number of deaths or serious injuries decrease when an airbag and seat belt are used, as compared to when a seat belt is used alone? How many people are airbags killing or seriously injuring? Do the benefits of airbags outnumber the disadvantages? How can airbags be improved? Also, are airbags an environmental time bomb? hat is being done to dispose of unused the poisonous sodium a!ide left in airbags?

Introduction:
"n most cars today you will find an airbag. #he airbag has three main parts. $irst the bag, which is made of a thin nylon fabric, holds the chemicals and sensors and folds into the steering wheel or the dashboard. #he electronic components contain a sensor that detects a collision force e%ual to running into a brick wall at about &'(&) mph and an igniter that detonates the first chemical reaction. #he third component contains *a*+, ,*-+ and .i-/. Airbag Deployment: .o, the gas(generator inside the airbag contains a mi0ture of *a* +, ,*-+, and .i-/. hen the car undergoes a head(on collision, a series of three chemical reactions inside the gas generator produce gas 1*/2 to fill the airbag and convert *a*+, which is highly to0ic, to harmless glass. .odium a!ide 1*a* +2 can decompose at +''o3 to produce sodium metal 1*a2 and nitrogen gas 1*/2. #he signal from the deceleration sensor ignites the gas(generator mi0ture by an electrical impulse, creating the high( temperature condition necessary for *a*+ to decompose. #he nitrogen gas that is generated then fills the airbag. #he purpose of the ,*-+ and .i-/ is to remove the sodium metal 1which is highly reactive and potentially e0plosive2, by converting it to a harmless material. $irst, the sodium reacts with potassium nitrate 1,*-+2 to produce potassium o0ide 1,/-2, sodium o0ide 1*a/-2, and additional */ gas. #he */ generated in this second reaction also fills the airbag, and the metal o0ides react with silicon dio0ide 1.i-/2 in a final reaction to produce silicate glass, which is harmless and stable. 1$irst(period metal o0ides, such as *a/- and ,/-, are highly reactive, so it would be unsafe to allow them to be the end product of the airbag detonation.2

Reaction 1: Reaction 2: Reaction 3:

/*a*+

/*a 4 +*/ ,/- 4 )*a/- 4 */ *a/,/.i-5 1alkaline silicate glass2

&'*a 4 /,*-+

,/- 4 *a/- 4 .i-/

Calculation of the Amount of !as "eeded *itrogen is an inert gas whose behavior can be appro0imated as an ideal gas at the temperature and pressure of the inflating airbag. #hus, the ideal(gas law provides a good appro0imation of the relationship between the pressure and volume of the airbag, and the amount of * / it contains. #he ideal(gas law is6

#$ 1 nRT

where,

# is the pressure in atmospheres $ is the volume in litres n is the number of moles of gas R is the gas constant in 78atm9mol8, 1: ; '.'</') 78atm9mol8,2 T is the temperature in ,elvin

"n this activity you will obtain some background information about airbags by visiting three websites and answering a series of %uestions. #his will be completed before conducting the actual e0periment. =ou will then conduct an e0periment where you will simulate the construction of an airbag by reacting an acid and a base together, generating a gas that will fill a >iploc? bag. =ou will then e0amine some of the environmental issues involving the use and disposal of airbags.

#re%&ab Acti ities

"ote: All three #re%&ab Acti ities should be completed a day or t'o prior to performing the lab( @re(lab Activity A& Have students go to the following website. At this site, they will learn how an airbag inflates and is supposed to save the life of a passenger. Air )ags: A *a+ard in your dashboard,
http:--'hyfiles(org-.32air/bag-inde0(html

Have students answer the following %uestions after visiting the website6 &. hat is the intended purpose of an air bag?

/. According to the article, what is the major concern with air bags? +. hat is being done to make airbags safer?

5. According to the article, what are three rules for drivers of cars with passenger(side air bags? a2 b2 c2 ). hat gas fills up the air bag?

B. C0plain how an air bag works. D. How long does it take for an airbag to inflate?

Discuss the answers to the %uestions as a class. #his will lead into a discussion of the chemistry behind airbags. #he engineers who design air bags are able to determine the e0act %uantity of chemicals needed to inflate the air bag to the proper volume, and in the correct amount of time. "f the air bag is under( inflated or inflates too %uickly, the passenger will still be injured by the steering wheel. "f the air bag over( inflates or inflates too slowly, the passenger will hit the inflating airbag and be injured. "t is critical to get just the right amount of gas in the air bag. @re(7ab Activity A/6 Have students go to the following website and complete the %uestions that follow. Scientific American:
http:--'''(sciam(com-as2e0pert/3uestion(cfm,articleID1...4ACD4%5A64%1C72%89)74.89C54462D7

&. a2 /.

hat are three places in a working car that definitely use chemistry? b2 c2

hat is the main reaction that produces the gas that fills up the airbag?

+. C0plain what prompts an airbag to inflate. @re(7ab Activity A+ Eo to the following website and complete the %uestions that follow. !as &a's Sa e &i es: The Chemistry )ehind Airbags
http:--'''(chemistry('ustl(edu-:edude -&abTutorials-Airbags-airbags(html

&.

hy was there a +' year span in the technology for airbags and their implementation?

/. How are airbags kept from deploying when there is not a collision? +. rite and balance the three reactions that occur when an airbag is deployed. :eaction &6 :eaction /6 :eaction +6 5. Discuss the safety of the following reactants9products6 */6 *a*+6 *a6 ,/-6 .odium silicate glass6 ). $or an airbag to cushion a person in a collision it must inflate within FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF and it must automatically begin to deflate. C0plain how the deflation happens. B. hy are airbags ha!ardous if they are not deployed before the car is flattened and recycled at the end of the cars lifetime?

D. Gsing your balanced chemical e%uation from A+, how many grams of sodium a!ide is re%uired to inflate an airbag to BD 7 of * / at .#@? <. Hased on the amount of sodium a!ide re%uired from AD, what mass sodium is produced? I. How many grams of potassium nitrate are needed to completely react with the sodium? 1use balanced e%uation from A+2. &'. C0plain why stoichiometry is important in the chemistry of airbags.

&&. A typical airbag contains )'.' g of sodium a!ide, *a*+. Gpon impact, the airbag deploys and inflates within 5' milliseconds to a volume of about B' 7, at a velocity between &)' and /)' mph. #he airbag inflates due to the decomposition reaction of *a* + and fills with nitrogen gas in the following reaction6 /*a*+1s2 /*a1s2 4 +*/1g2

a. "f )'.' g of *a*+ decompose, how many moles of */1g2 will be produced? How many grams of */1g2 will be produced? b. How many moles of *a1s2 will be formed from this reaction? How many grams of *a1s2 will be formed?

c.

A second reaction has to occur to remove the *a, which is highly reactive and potentially e0plosive. Halance the following reactions, and determine how many grams of ,*- + that should be placed in the airbag to fully react with the *a. FFF *a 4 FFF ,*-+ FFF ,/- 4 FFF *a/- 4 FFF*/ 1g2

d. How much additional */1g2 in grams will be produced by the second reaction?

90tension Acti ity ;1: <ndetonated%Airbag Disposal

#hus far we have discussed how airbags function to protect us when there is a head(on collision. Hut the vast majority of airbags in cars, fortunately, are never deployed within the lifetime of the automobile. hat happens to these airbags? #ypically, cars are flattened and recycled at the end of their lifetime, and the airbags are never removed from the cars. #his can be ha!ardous, because these airbags still contain sodium a!ide, whose presence during the automobile(recycling process endangers workers, and can damage recycling e%uipment and the environment. How does this happen? .odium a!ide can react in several ways when it undergoes the conditions of the recycling process itself. #he first step of the recycling process is to flatten the automobile hulk. -nce the car is flattened, it is impossible to see whether or not it contains an airbag. "f the container holding the *a*+ is damaged during flattening, then *a*+, which is potentially mutagenic and carcinogenic, can be released into the environment. #he ne0t step in recycling cars is to shred them into fist(si!ed pieces so that the different types of metal can be separated and recovered. .odium a!ide released during this process may contaminate the steel, iron, and nonferrous metals recovered at this stage. -f greater concern, however, is the large amount of heat and friction generated by the shredder. :ecall that *a* + reacts e0plosively at high temperaturesJ hence, there is a risk of ignition when airbags pass through the automobile shredder. #his danger is amplified if sodium a!ide comes in contact with heavy metals in the car, such as lead and copper, because these may react to form a volatile e0plosive. #he pieces of the car may also pass through a wet shredder. Here, another danger arises because if the *a* + dissolves in water, it can form hydra!oic acid 1H*+26 1H*+ is highly to0ic, volatile, and e0plosive2. *a*+ 4 H/- (((K H*+ 4 *a-H. hat can be done to prevent these reactions of sodium a!ide in undetonated airbags? .omehow, the airbags must be prevented from going through the automobile(recycling process. arning devices that would alert recyclers to the presence of an undetonated airbag in flattened car hulks have been tested, but these are generally e0pensive to implement, and they would need to be in every automobile airbag. Also, it is e0tremely difficult or impossible to remove an airbag from a car that has already been flattened, and so the %uestion of what to do with these flattened cars containing airbags remains unanswered. #his will become an increasingly large problem, as airbags have recently become mandatory e%uipment in new automobiles. Hence, the proportion of cars with airbags in recycling plants will increase. A better solution is to remove the airbag canister before the car is sent for flattening or recycling. #his is cheaper, simpler, and more efficient, and allows the car to be recycled safely. #his strategy is already used for other ha!ardous components of cars, such as lead(battery cases. However, there is an added incentive for removing batteries that is not yet applicable for removing airbags from cars before recycling. #he lead from batteries can be re(sold, but currently there is no market value for airbag canisters. #hus, strictly( enforced laws or a market(based incentive system may be re%uired to ensure that airbags continue to protect our safety, even after the lifetime of the automobiles that contain them.

=uestions: &. .uggest a way to flatten cars for recycling so that airbags in vehicles would all deploy.

/. "f you wanted to use a different set of chemical reactions to generate gas for airbags, what characteristics should the reagents have?

90tension Acti ity ;2: Safety Debate

@eople have different opinions about mandatory seat belt and air bag use. "n fact, this discussion often includes bicycle and motorcycle helmets for safety, too. Divide your class into two debating teams and discuss the following %uestion6 3an a society that believes in individual decisions regarding safety issues re%uire individuals to use devices that may save their lives in an accident?

Interesting >ebsites:

>RIT9 ?@< @#I"I@" I" T>@ #ARA!RA#*S #yndall Cffect6 1ethanol HA3 concentration is higher after airbag deployment2 http699gaduiblog.com9/''B9'<9'D9breath(test(after(airbag(deployment9 Cnvironmental considerations9rescue implications9security implications6 1C0cellent articleLLL2
http699www.res%med.com9*aH+.pdf

Heware the airbag6

http699www.abc.net.au9science9articles9/'''9'+9+&9&&5<&).htm?site;catapultMtopic;latest

.odium A!ide in 3ar Airbags @oses Erowing Cnvironmental Ha!ard, GA .cientist .ays http699uanews.org9node9/I&+ =ou#ube Nideo6 How an Airbag orks6

http699www.youtube.com9watch?v;d>f7-nOoN-Q

=ou#ube Nideo6 Amateur airbag deployment test6 http699www.youtube.com9watch?v;,hrypk&j@HC Nideo6 Honda Eold ing airbag in action6

http699www.autoblog.com9/''B9'I9'<9video(honda(gold(wing(airbag(in(action9

How Airbags

ork6

http699www.howstuffworks.com9airbag.htm