Airbags are used in cars for safety. They contain sodium nitride (NaN3), potassium nitrate (KNO3), and silica(SiO2). When a car undergoes a collision, a series of three chemical reactions inside the gas generator produces nitrogen gas (N2) to fill the airbag and converts dangerous by-products into harmless and stable silicate glass (Na2K2SiO4). The chemical equations for these reactions are Reaction 1 : 2NaN3 ----> 2Na + 3N2 Reaction 2 : 10Na + 2KNO3 ----> K2O + 5Na2O + N2 Reaction 3 : K2O + Na2O + SiO2 ----> Na2K2SiO4 The balanced overall chemical reaction for the gas producing reactions (1 and 2) is
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2NaN3 + 10Na + 2KNO3 --------> 2Na + K2O + 5Na2O + 4N2
2NaN3 + 2KNO3 --------> K2O + 5Na2O + 4N2
10NaN3 + 2KNO3 --------> K2O + 5Na2O + 16N2
10NaN3 + 10Na + 2KNO3 --------> 2Na + K2O + 5Na2O + 16
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Answer:
The development of airbags began with the idea for a system that would restrain automobile drivers and passengers in an accident, whether or not they were wearing their seat belts. The road from that idea to the airbags we have today has been long, and it has involved many turnabouts in the vision for what airbags would be expected to do. Today, airbags are mandatory in new cars and are designed to act as a supplemental safety device in addition to a seat belt. Airbags have been commonly available since the late 1980's; however, they were first invented (and a version was patented) in 1953. The automobile industry started in the late 1950's to research airbags and soon discovered that there were many more difficulties in the development of an airbag than anyone had expected. Crash tests showed that for an airbag to be useful as a protective device, the bag must deploy and inflate within 40 milliseconds. The system must also be able to detect the difference between a severe crash and a minor fender-bender. These technological difficulties helped lead to the 30-year span between the first patent and the common availability of airbags.
In recent years, increased reports in the media concerning deaths or serious injuries due to airbag deployment have led to a national discussion about the usefulness and "safety" of airbags. 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?
As seen in Figures 1 and 2, airbags have saved lives and have lowered the number of severe injuries. These statistics are continuing to improve, as airbags become more widely used. Nevertheless, as the recent reports have shown, there is still a need for development of better airbags that do not cause injuries. Also, better public understanding of how airbags work will help people to make informed and potentially life-saving decisions about using airbags.