Last week we drew Lewis dot structures of azide (N_3^{1-}N
3
1−
), a crucial component in automobile collision safety airbags. During an impact, a sensor ignites a detonator cap that sets off the following rapid reaction:
2NaN_{3(s)} \rightarrow 2Na_{(s)} + 3N_{2(g)}2NaN
3(s)
→2Na
(s)
+3N
2(g)
Part A
What mass of sodium azide must be completely reacted to inflate an air bag to 65.0 liters at 20.0 ºC and 1.06 atm?
Part B
What mass of sodium azide should be loaded in the device to ensure full inflation of the same air bag if the actual reaction can be expected to proceed to give only 83% yield of nitrogen gas?
To learn more about airbags and the chemistry behind how they work, look here:
Bell, W.L. "Chemistry of Air Bags," (1990) J. Chem. Ed. 67 (1), p. 61.