A vehicle airbag system works by using a series of chemical reactions. When sensors in the system detect a collision, a heat source instantly causes the decomposition of sodium azide at 300oC. This first reaction produces sodium metal and nitrogen gas. The formation of the nitrogen gas inflates the airbag, but unfortunately, the other product, sodium metal, is extremely dangerous and highly reactive. The sodium metal must undergo an immediate secondary reaction to transform into a safer substance. That’s where potassium nitrate gets involved. In the secondary reaction, sodium metal reacts with the potassium nitrate to form potassium oxide, sodium oxide, and additional nitrogen gas. This secondary generation of nitrogen gas also fills the airbag. Excess gas from the secondary reaction gets vented from e airbag. Finally, in the third and fourth reactions, the sodium oxide and potassium oxide react with silicon dioxide separately to product harmless and stable silicate glasses sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) and potassium silicate (K2SiO3) respectively. The average volume for a driver’s side airbag is 56 L and for the passenger’s side it is 120 L. The pressure needed for the airbags to inflate properly is 1.87 atm. a. Write balanced equations for the four reactions that occur during airbag deployment. b. What is the minimum amount of sodium azide in grams necessary for the airbags to deploy properly? c. How much potassium nitrate and silicon dioxide are necessary to convert products of the reaction harmless and stable solids?
Catalysis and Enzymatic Reactions
Catalysis is the kind of chemical reaction in which the rate (speed) of a reaction is enhanced by the catalyst which is not consumed during the process of reaction and afterward it is removed when the catalyst is not used to make up the impurity in the product. The enzymatic reaction is the reaction that is catalyzed via enzymes.
Lock And Key Model
The lock-and-key model is used to describe the catalytic enzyme activity, based on the interaction between enzyme and substrate. This model considers the lock as an enzyme and the key as a substrate to explain this model. The concept of how a unique distinct key only can have the access to open a particular lock resembles how the specific substrate can only fit into the particular active site of the enzyme. This is significant in understanding the intermolecular interaction between proteins and plays a vital role in drug interaction.
A vehicle airbag system works by using a series of
a. Write balanced equations for the four reactions that occur during airbag deployment.
b. What is the minimum amount of sodium azide in grams necessary for the airbags to deploy properly?
c. How much potassium nitrate and silicon dioxide are necessary to convert products of the reaction harmless and stable solids?
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