Connections to Chemistry: Airbags

Chemistry Term Paper Author Name University Name Part A — Connections to Chemistry There is no distinctive connection between chemistry and automobiles, but a lot of chemical reactions take place in a working car, such as chemicals present in its battery that transform into energy and gasoline that burns to generate electricity in the battery of a vehicle. The airbags themselves have a lot of association with chemistry because numerous reactions take place in them, and gases are burnt to produce by-products and energy. One of the main chemicals is NaN3 (sodium azide). Inside an airbag, gas is generated through a mixture of SiO2, KNO3, and NaN3. A series of chemical reactions also take place, and these reactions tend to fill the airbags and convert non-useable gases into usable forms. NaN3 is a toxic gas that, when allowed to burn, can produce a massive amount of energy (Høye, 2010). The same is the condition with SiO2 and KNO3. Sodium azide (NaN3) decomposes at a high temperature to produce nitrogen and sodium gases. And sometimes, the atomic structure of these gases also changes that are generated to fill the space of airbags. For example, SiO2 and KNO3 change their atomic structure to be more suitable and potentially explosive. Thus, we can say that the molecular compounds, gas laws, atomic structure, chemical reactions, measurement, and nuclear chemistry are all associated with airbags, and we cannot separate them from chemistry. When it comes to discussing the chemistry of airbags, the kinetic theory of gases is also taken into account. This theory assumes that all gases are ideal, meaning the ones present in airbags are perfect in themselves and the size of their molecules change with changes in temperature and pressure (Rohm, 2008). On a microscopic level, the pressure put on the walls of airbags is the result of gas molecules that keep colliding with each other. They often exert the force on the airbag walls and tend to change their properties and structure to an extent. Similarly, a large number of chemical reactions take place in the airbags, allowing them to perform their functions efficiently. There is always a stable distribution of molecules depending on the type of gases being involved. Similarly, some ions are also involved and equally distributed, and we can predict the level of their distribution using the kinetic theory. Sometimes only a few ions and molecules travel given the low temperature and pressure, and sometimes an extensive range of ions and molecules move from one part of the airbag to the other, and this is because of high temperature and extreme pressure (Kurzweil & Garche, 2017). Furthermore, the speed of gas molecules depends on the pressure being exerted on the airbag walls. For example, if the pressure is high and the kinetic theory of gases is taken into account, then the molecules will be unevenly distributed and may increase their speed. On the other hand, if the kinetic theory is not taken care of and the pressure on the walls is low, then the gas molecules may not increase their speed and will be distributed evenly. In simple words, we can say that gas laws have a lot to do with how molecules and ions perform their functions inside the airbags. Sometimes gases like sodium azide react se...