H2s smells of rotten eggs for one breath. After that you don't notice it anymore. It deadens the olfactory nerves so that you can not tell it is present after the first detection. If it is light enough when you first smell it, you will think that it is just you as you can't get another verifying whiff. CO2 will kill you though suffication. H2s will kill you even if you only get one breath of it. (once again this depends on the concentration) What is bad is that the H2S will knock you out. Being as it is heavier than air you usually fall into higher concentrations than what you were exposed to. Someone seeing you down and not knowing of the H2S will wind up joining you so that there two down instead of one.
Whoa Never thought it's that scary! Then how is it detectable, or what chemical reaction can decompose H<sub>2</sub>S? About being heavy gas, CO<sub>2</sub> is also heavy, but I don't know about CO (monooxide)
"Maybe that is what killed off the dinos." A large object striking the Earth would set off lots of volcanoes as well as starting tsunamis. Here is a favourite. Pretty pictures too. http://miac.uqac.ca/MIAC/chicxulub.htm
curioucity H2S is a reducing agent and will react with oxidising agents. In fact H2S was (is?) used as a test for (any) oxidising agent. H2S passed through solution of oxidising agent precipitates very finely divided sulphur. H2S is also a very weak dibasic acid so will react with alkalis. Hope this helps
"About being heavy gas, CO2 is also heavy, but I don't know about CO (monooxide)" CO2 has mol. wt. 44 CO 28 O2 32 N2 28 so CO is roughly the same as nitrogen and only a little lighter than oxygen.
Frankly, Catastrophe, I'm not sure if molecule weight affects the overall density, even with neglecting the idle gas (they are far too thin). What makes me unsure is that I only see this case happen to solid materials, not gas, but I've forgotten most of it...
Hi curioucity Avogadro's hypothesis states that, under the same conditions of temperature and pressure, equal volumes of all gases contain the same number of molecules. Since density = mass / volume then gas densities are molecular mass / volume. For equal volumes then density is proportional to molecular mass (weight). Another statement of the same thing is that the Gram Molecular Weight of any gas at STP occupies 22.41 litres. Since volume is the same, density is proportional to Molecular Weight. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I wouldn't worry about the smell of "rotten eggs" to much....About the time when Yellowstone goes, you won't have much time to "Sniff" the air. Instead, I would just enjoy the time you have left and be sure and remember to leave that day "Blank" on your calender..... Enjoy, Norm::Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
QUOTE]Wouldn't it be CO which is deadlier, since it is unsmellable?[/QUOTE] CO is a very unstable gas, so in contact with oxygen converts into stable CO2, much harmless, although one cannot survive in a highly concentrated atmosphere of CO2. At the beginning, high CO2 concentrations will speed up you breathing (a natural recation from the organism), But if one does not have enough O2 and N2 the O2 concentration drops in hemoglobin and your brain dies from the lack of it. On the other hand, if you breath in a 100% O2 atmosphere, you'll also die. Our bodies need a mixture of 21% of O2 and 78% of N2 for working properly. (I wonder how "lower east side bums" can survive breathing a mixture of 50% alcohol (coming from their own lungs!) and 10,5% O2 and 39% N2) Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I guess it really doesn't matter how much Carbon Dioxide you breath or anything else as far as that goes, When Yellowstone goes, all you really need is to sit in your boat in the middle of Yellowstone Lake, throw out your fishing line and sip on a beer and if you have time, light up a cigar and enjoy the fireworks......You should have a real blast don't you think???? Lovin it.... Norm Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
