NEEPS

Julie · Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:22 pm Post subject: can anyone answer this please?

What happens to the carbon monoxide gas that comes out of your car?
Is it one of those heavier than air gasses that lurk around at pushchair height or does it rise up?
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Smooth Hound · Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:56 pm Post subject:

not sure but judging by the smell in cities i would guess it lingers,

lachlanandmarcus · Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:21 pm Post subject:

I think carbon monoxide is so dangerous because it has no smell? not sure about rising and falling tho
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pete_inthehills · Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:39 pm Post subject:

carbon monoxide is about the same weight as air. The way to work is it out is to look up the atom weights of the elements involved.

Air is actually mostly Nitrogen gas (N2) (Nitrogen is AW 14 so =28) This is the most commonly used weight for air.
Cabon monoxide is CO (12+16)=28.

I'm guessing that it'll probably just sit where it is expelled but it will mix due to air flow and convection currents in the room/garage.

Carbon Dioxide (12+16+16) is significantly heavier than air and this will "pool" on the ground or in hollows. There is a famous experiment where you put a candle in a glass beaker and then pour CO2 in to the beaker and the candle is extingiushed as the CO2 replaces the oxygen needed for the candle to burn.

hope this helps.

pete
inthehills
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Julie · Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:26 am Post subject:

Thankyou, it is exactly what I wanted to know.
It was also very interesting, thanks Pete

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Drover · newbie Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 3 Location: Moray

Some older garages have pits, for working underneath vehicles before the days of hydraulic ramps. Apparently it was necessary for someone to regularly take a bucket and bale out the carbon monoxide that tended to lie and linger there. Must have been an interesting sight!

Welly · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:46 am Post subject:

Molecular weight of:

Carbon Monoxide----->28.01 Lighter
Nitrogen----------------->28.0134
Air------------------------->28.975
Oxygen------------------>32.00
Carbon Dioxide------->44.01 Heavier

I think CO would actually rise in a closed environment, but because the molecular weights are amost identical, Pete is quite right. CO will hang around until it diffuses.

Nasty stuff.

Welly
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pete_inthehills · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:59 am Post subject:

lachlanandmarcus · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:01 am Post subject:

LOL!

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Welly · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:24 pm Post subject:

Welly