Hi All: I'm really dumb about chemistry. I barely could figure out the difference between nitrates and nitrites, and was more interested in melting glass than calculating molar equivalents. So, here's a copy of a recent email between me and Al Schwartz.
------------------------ From: Uncle Al Schwartz <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Oxygen Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 10:07:53 -0800 To: [email protected] > >Uncle Al: > >A few quick questions for my chem guru. > >Regarding hazard conditions in a clinical hyperbaric chamber. Do you know > what percentage O2 is normal for treatment? > Straight O2. Only the O2 partial pressure matters for therapy. Inert gas > has the disadvantage of dissolving in blood and giving the bends. > > Is a constant O2 percentage maintained? Does the flamability of a fuel > (speed of reaction?) increase as the atmospheric pressure is increased or is > it more a function of the O2 percentage? > Flammability is a function of O2 partial pressure. In the absence of inert > dilutents (e.g., nitrogen) things take off like rocket fuel. > >Finally, do you know of any applicable safety standards for hyperbaric > chambers? > Nope. I've never worked in the field. Ask an expert, or a technician. > Clickable list of search engines at my Web page - updates Friday! > >Closely related, was the Apollo 1 incident a pure O2 at 1 ATM? My memory > was that it was 1 ATM, but with an elevated (but not 100%) O2 level. Right? > 1 atm, 100% O2 for thea ccident. In flight it is about 5 psi, 100% O2. > Makes a big difference. > > -- > Uncle Al Schwartz > [email protected] ("zero" before @) > http://uncleal.within.net/ > http://pw2.netcom.com/~uncleal0/uncleal.htm > http://www.ultra.net.au/~wisby/uncleal.htm > http://www.guyy.demon.co.uk/uncleal/uncleal.htm > (Toxic URLs! Unsafe for children, Democrats, and most mammals) > "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" The Net! I'm amazed that the hyperbaric chamber O2 percentage is 100%. Can anyone confirm this? In a 100% O2 environment, I'd think even a tiny speck of oil in your wristwatch band would self-ignite. If I follow up on this, then I've got a good excuse to avoid cleaning my gutters this weekend! Ed -------------------------- Ed Price [email protected] Electromagnetic Compatibility Lab Cubic Defense Systems San Diego, CA. USA 619-505-2780 List-Post: [email protected] Date: 11/25/1998 Time: 11:02:10 -------------------------- --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] (the list administrators).
