quest
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"smoking" alcohol
Hello,
There is a "new trend" I see on the net of "smoking alcohol".
sample movie from youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1sNWvsPJdM
I'm very curious how to explain the phenomenon in chemistry terms.
I'm guessing the answer will be connected to vapor pressure but I can't figure it out.
Any ideas what is happening here?
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DubaiAmateurRocketry
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This is why aliens dont want to talk to us.
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elementcollector1
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And also why the rest of the world thinks America is full of idiots. It used to be that we were fat idiots. Now we're fat, drugged idiots who think we
can get high off of alcohol.
Darwin Award, meet your newest candidate.
Elements Collected:52/87
Latest Acquired: Cl
Next in Line: Nd
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Finnnicus
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What is wrong with people..?
[Edited on 15-6-2013 by Finnnicus]
[Edited on 15-6-2013 by Finnnicus]
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Endimion17
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quest, when you increase pressure in a closed system, its temperature jumps up, but the heat leaks out. Upon reducing the pressure at a high rate, the
vapor would "like" that heat back, but the atmosphere can't heat it quickly enough, so it drops down into fog. That's not smoke, it's fog. Liquid
particles suspended in gas.
The same things happens whenever there's some water in a high pressure system that depressurizes quickly enough. It would happen in a fast
decompression accident in vacuum. Actually, Space Odyssey 2001 is, as far as I know, the only movie where decompression fogging was correctly used as a special effect.
Regarding the two "funny people" in the video... Rarely anything surprises me anymore. This is way less dangerous than inhaling boiling alcohol vapour
(ethanol concentration is very small), or stuffing a tube in your ass and filling it with booze.
However, the need to do this and to actually film yourself acting like a moron, and uploading it to YT is obviously more concerning. 
[Edited on 15-6-2013 by Endimion17]
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quest
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Endimion, I'm learning Thermodynamics now so I know what you are talking about. it is an isothermic reaction.
So you say that when you release the pressure some of the water/alcohol turn into vapore and take some liquid particles with them?
thanks
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Endimion17
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Isothermic or adiabatic? Depends what exactly we're looking at. Pumping the bottle allows some heat transfer, towards the environment. We feel the
bottle getting warm. The heat leaks out, leaving the temperature of the bottle the same (ideally, if you'd wait long enough).
Sudden decompression is an adiabatic process. No heat is transfered (again, ideally) and as the pressure drops, the temperature drops down, too. The
gas saturated with vapor turns into gas with suspended liquid - fog, because the temperature falls below the dew point of the system involved.
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Morgan
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I saw a show where that mist effect occurred in an underwater cave, modulated by the pressure of the waves. It was a program about sea snakes.
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amazingchemistry
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Is this sort of like what happens immediately after you uncork a bottle of champagne? (you see the area around the mouth of the bottle fog up for a
bit)
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12AX7
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Typically when I crack open a nice cold beer, a bit of mist wafts out. Mostly water, of course.
Tim
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Tdep
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| Quote: | | Actually, Space Odyssey 2001 is, as far as I know, the only movie where decompression fogging was correctly used as a special effect.
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Can we just take a moment of appreciation for Stanley Kubrick and 2001?
Ok cool thanks.
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Finnnicus
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Quote: Originally posted by Tdep  | | Quote: | | Actually, Space Odyssey 2001 is, as far as I know, the only movie where decompression fogging was correctly used as a special effect.
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Can we just take a moment of appreciation for Stanley Kubrick and 2001?
Ok cool thanks. |
Amen.
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Fantasma4500
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im starting to see a pattern that bringing up narcotics or alcohols to 'poison' your mind isnt very well appreciated..? (:
im just wondering if this would be good to drag out the bottle for gascanons..
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DraconicAcid
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| Quote: Originally posted by amazingchemistry | | Is this sort of like what happens immediately after you uncork a bottle of champagne? (you see the area around the mouth of the bottle fog up for a
bit) |
Yes. When you release the pressure, the gas expands, pushing the atmosphere out of the way. Because it is expanding against a constant atmospheric
pressure, it is doing work, so energy is leaving the gas. Since this is happening rapidly, there is no time for heat energy to enter the gas
(adiabatic expansion), so the gas cools down, and the water vapour and alcohol vapour condense to form small droplets (mist).
Please remember: "Filtrate" is not a verb.
Write up your lab reports the way your instructor wants them, not the way your ex-instructor wants them.
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