Chemistry and Chemists No. 1 2012. Nitrous oxide. Receipt, storage and physiological action

As a narcologist, I am increasingly asked what laughing gas (club gas) is and why it is dangerous? Until recently, such smoking mixtures, fashionable among young people, are gradually becoming a thing of the past. “Advanced” youth have a new fetish – “laughing gas”. Nitrous oxide is used quite widely; there is no official ban on its sale and use. Greedy drug dealers did not fail to take advantage of this. They don’t care that young lives are being lost from this momentary “joy”, the main thing is money, money.

At most parties and nightclubs, you can now often see young men and women with balloons in their hands. Don’t think that these are cute jokers who decided to amuse others with their changed voice after inhaling helium. No, the balloons do not contain harmless helium, but we are talking about a completely different kind of entertainment. The balloons are filled with a portion of “laughing gas” - this is how a new fashionable drug is now delivered. The country is going crazy. “On-air parties” fill Russia.

It is extremely difficult to combat any drug addiction in youth companies, because they tend to do what other, more “advanced” members do. This herd mentality leads to very sad consequences, because even those members of the company who, in principle, are not inclined to such risky experiments, become addicted to drugs. But in a group you need to be “like everyone else,” otherwise you will find yourself an outcast, so any negative examples spread extremely quickly and become “fashionable and stylish.”

The only radical method of reducing the consumption of laughing gas would be a law restricting the free sale of nitrous oxide and introducing strict accountability for this substance.

Features of nitrogen production

Nitrogen is always present around us. So in the earth’s atmosphere there is at least 75% of this gas; it is necessary for the human body to carry out many metabolic processes. A high percentage of this substance is found in proteins, amino acids, and hemoglobin.

During the era of active industrial development, nitrogen was obtained from Chilean nitrate. But with the decrease in the amount of this mineral, humanity is using inexhaustible atmospheric reserves.

There are two atoms in one gas molecule. At the same time, they are very firmly connected to each other. It is impossible to form a connection with other elements until the atomic bond is broken. Today you can buy liquid nitrogen, which is obtained from air and brought to a liquid or gaseous state.

The history of laughing gas

Nitric oxide (nitrous oxide) was discovered a long time ago, back in the second half of the 18th century by Joseph Priestley. Its chemical formula is N₂O, in Latin Nitrogenium oxydulatum. International name: Dinitrogen oxide.

We now know that it is a greenhouse gas and one of the substances that contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer, but at the time of its discovery it was considered a completely harmless substance, suitable for parties, because inhaling it caused fun among others.

When its hypnotic and narcotic effects on the human body became clear, the gas began to be used in medical practice. But the lack of knowledge about its effect on the human body and the inability to accurately dose the drug led to side effects, as well as numerous deaths during operations.

The fact is that nitric oxide has low narcotic activity, and high doses of it in its pure form led to respiratory arrest. The gas has neurotoxic properties. Because of this, it was banned for use in many countries, for example, in the USA it is still banned in a number of states, and in New Zealand, selling and using it can lead to serious prison sentences.

Only closer to our time have we learned to correctly combine nitrous oxide with oxygen and use a highly purified drug. But even in these cases, no one guarantees the absence of side effects.

States of matter

Before moving on to consider how liquid nitrogen is produced, it is necessary to clarify the characteristics of the substance. If no violations were made during the manufacturing process, these parameters will comply with GOST, and the product can be effectively used for all intended purposes.

The state for nitrogen at normal atmospheric pressure is gaseous:

No smell or color.
Poorly soluble in water.
There is no reaction with any chemicals other than lithium.
When heated, the ability to create chemical compounds increases significantly.
Complete explosion and fire safety.
The ability to prevent the development of rotting and oxidative processes.
No toxicity.

Buyers use gas for different purposes. Most often, it combines with hydrogen, which helps produce ammonia. It is in demand in many industries, from refrigerant production to fertilizer production.

For nitrogen to become liquid, it must be brought to a temperature of −195.8 °C. It is important to take into account the peculiarity of the behavior of the nitrogen-oxygen mixture during strong heating. It is the second element that begins to evaporate faster.

In production, cycles of boiling and subsequent liquefaction often alternate. This helps to influence the composition of gases and obtain a mixture with the required performance qualities.

The property of gas transition between states also applies. If you heat one liter of a substance in liquid form, you can get up to 700 liters in gaseous form. Therefore, it is important to ensure proper storage in sealed containers without the risk of heating, with insulation.

Sometimes it may also be necessary to transform the substance into a solid state. Crystallization begins upon cooling to −209.86 °C. The resulting crystals begin to melt upon contact with oxygen.

Price

Before you buy for cosmetology or therapeutic purposes, you need to familiarize yourself with the contraindications (where you can expect a deterioration in your overall health). If there are no restrictions, supplies of the element are established in Moscow, St. Petersburg and beyond. The cost depends on the procedure that the patient will undergo. A cryomassage session can be obtained at prices starting from 500 rubles, cauterization of cervical erosion - from 1,000 rubles. Prices are determined by the area that requires treatment.

How is liquid nitrogen made?

The process of obtaining such a substance in a liquid state is well established and helps to produce the desired product. Let's consider the main approaches.

Cryogenic method

Uses atmospheric air for work. The approach is based on its liquefaction. The procedure consists of several 3 stages:

Compression in the compressor to the desired state, transfer to heat exchangers.
Entering the expander, expansion.
Cooling, transfer to a liquid state.

The difference in temperature allows oxygen and nitrogen to separate. To achieve the required purity of the substance, this procedure must be repeated several times.

Typically, the cryogenic method is used when large volumes of products need to be obtained. Separation plants are expensive and large in size. To place them, you need to find a large area and connect communications.

The advantage of the technology lies in the purity of the resulting substance. It will contain a minimum of impurities. Using the installations, you can also produce oxygen and argon in the required volume. There are different states - liquid, gaseous.

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Membrane method

Quite an old, well-proven technology. So named due to the use of a special membrane with very small pores. When air is supplied to it, it freely passes through such an obstacle, while nitrogen remains and enters the storage tank.

The method has several important advantages:

Purity of the resulting substance.
High level of energy efficiency of production.
Possibility of rapid deployment of the gas production process.

The units can be easily placed in the enterprise and do not take up much space. However, when producing large volumes, the approach usually turns out to be unprofitable.

Adsorption method

The use of adsorbents to create gas mixtures is also practiced by many manufacturers. The approach makes it possible to obtain large volumes of the finished product quite quickly.

The installation consists of two columns. The substance used in the work is in each of them. Air is taken directly from the atmosphere and compressed in a compressor. In this case, the pressure stabilizes to the required levels in the receiver.

It is also important to ensure proper filtration. It guarantees that the finished product will not contain various impurities and contaminants - from dust and carbon dioxide to water vapor, acetylene, and other substances dispersed in the urban air environment.

When the mixture is completely purified, the process of adsorption separation begins. To do this, air is passed through a column containing carbon molecular sieves. Next, the mixture enters the second column, where nitrogen accumulates in the receiver.

Modern air separation plants

proposes to refuse to purchase this substance by organizing its independent production. In this case, the cost of the resulting nitrogen is 10-20 times less than purchased nitrogen. If your enterprise requires its own nitrogen source, our specialists will familiarize you with the technical characteristics of existing plants. We will help you make the optimal choice of units, organize their delivery, installation, commissioning and commissioning.

Produce nitrogen yourself - submit a request for equipment from the pages of our website!

I think each of us has at least once seen how frozen flower petals or leaves on trees easily crumble in our hands. But not everyone knows how to achieve a similar effect without low air temperature outside and within a few seconds.

In our video, you can see how this can be brought to life.

To create crumbling leaves and buds we will need:

– a large foam cup; – propane-butane mixture; – thick gloves; – water; – flowers or leaves.

We will use a foam cup to store the reagent.

A propane-butane mixture can be obtained by taking an empty cylinder, turning it over and draining the remaining liquid. You can also use a lighter refill can. Turn it over and press the nozzle; a liquid propane-butane mixture will fly out of it, which can be sprayed into a foam cup. This mixture is also suitable for our experience.

If you decide to extract the mixture from a cylinder, do not rush to release the gas, do it slowly, in about 3 minutes you will have half a glass, this is about the same as what is in the lighter refill can. Remember to use thick gloves to avoid frostbite on your fingers. Also remember that the mixture is flammable - keep the fire away.

When the required amount of mixture has been collected, it is time to start the experiment. Take any flower and drop it into the mixture for 10-15 seconds. After this, it will begin to crumble easily. The thinner the petals of a flower, the less time is needed to obtain the desired effect.

In the open air, our liquid boils, so to achieve the desired effect, it is necessary to periodically add a propane-butane mixture into the glass. Also, don’t rush at the very beginning; the mixture evaporates very quickly.

If you add water to the mixture, you can see air bubbles begin to rise. What you get are small balls of ice with an air bubble inside.

If you are not entirely confident in your abilities or knowledge of physics. It’s better not to carry out such tests.

Liquid nitrogen is a chemical compound traditionally used for flash freezing. True, this substance is often used in scientific laboratories; it can also be used at home. Care must be taken when making liquid nitrogen because it can be unsafe.

You will need

– empty 2l plastic bottle – 1 pc.;
– empty 0.5 l plastic bottle – 1 pc.;
- scissors;
- dry ice;
– isopropyl alcohol;
– needle

Instructions

1. When creating liquid nitrogen, it is important to take the necessary precautions. Wear thick jeans, a long sleeve T-shirt and work gloves. Also, wear eye protection and keep your hair out of the experiment's radius. This may prevent acceptable bodily harm.

2. Use a 2 liter plastic bottle. It must be empty, clean and dry. You can remove the label to keep track of the experiment. Take sharp scissors and trim approximately 7.5 - 8 cm from the top of the bottle. Throw away the excess part.

3. Fill the prepared 2L bottle approximately halfway with dry ice. Always wear gloves when handling dry ice as touching it can cause serious injury.

4. To purchase liquid nitrogen, you need to add isopropyl alcohol (in other words, rubbing alcohol) to the dry ice. To add alcohol harmlessly, using a large needle, make several holes in the bottom and sides of a 500 ml plastic bottle. After this, place it inside a 2-liter bottle and place it neatly between pieces of dry ice. In this case, a huge part of the smaller bottle should be covered with dry ice. Dry ice can be added as needed. Make sure the tiny bottle's openings are open and that dense particles are not blocking access.

Liquid nitrogen storage and safety precautions

Having a good understanding of how liquid nitrogen is formed, we can draw conclusions about its proper transportation, storage and use. An important requirement is to maintain the tightness of the container. Therefore, the cylinders into which the mixture is pumped must be regularly inspected, repaired and maintained.

Our company not only sells, but also checks cylinders and ensures fast transportation of products. For transportation, vehicles are used, in which tanks and cryogenic vessels are placed.

To ensure the safety of the produced substance, it must be kept in a vacuum. Pumping into double-walled Dewar flasks is used. The inner surface is silvered to a mirror state - this helps to significantly reduce heat transfer.

The finished product must be used with strict adherence to safety precautions. It is better to avoid long-term contact of the substance with unprotected skin. If it does occur, you need to rinse the affected area as quickly as possible.

When leaks occur, nitrogen begins to accumulate at floor level. At the same time, it quickly evaporates, and there is less oxygen in the room. Therefore, if a vessel leak does occur, proper ventilation must be ensured as quickly as possible.

Application rates

When growing flowers, fruits and berries, vegetables and potatoes, the main application of nitrogen fertilizers should be carried out at the rate of 0.6-0.9 kg of active substance per 1 hundred square meters of area. Fertilizing requires 150-200 grams per hundred square meters, but for fruit and berry crops the norm is slightly higher - 200-300 grams.

Foliar feeding is carried out at the rate of 25-50 grams of nitrogen per 10 liters of water. This is enough to process 1-2 acres.

Importance of fertilizers for agriculture

The need for nitrogen fertilizers, their importance and use for increasing soil productivity cannot be overestimated. An increase in their content in the soil layer leads to:

accelerating the growth of vegetative organs;
saturating the plant with amino acids;
activation of the microflora of the soil layer, due to which harmful microorganisms are eliminated;
plant resistance to unfavorable conditions;
increase in productivity.

The production of nitrogen fertilizers is the most important branch of the chemical industry. The first place in the world belongs to China, but Russia is also one of the main suppliers of chemical compounds to the world market. Mainly ammonia and urea are exported. This is facilitated by the availability of raw materials – natural gas.