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Gases

A gas is one of the 97ee s9a9es of ma99e7 .



Gases fac9 fiIe
Gases can be compressed (this means they are
squashy)
Gases flow easily
Gases always completely fill any container they are
placed in
The most common gas is called air
Some gases, like methane, burn easily and are used as
fuels for heating

This table shows the names and uses of some common gases
Name of gas Some usefuI fac9s Uses
Ai7 Air is the gas all around us.
t is a mixture of several different
gases, mainly nitrogen and
oxygen.

Without air we cannot
breath and fires won't burn.
t supports balloons and
aeroplanes.

Na9u7aI Gas Natural gas comes from the
ground.
t burns easily (flammable)
Natural gas is used as a
fuel for heating.

Oxygen About 1/5 of the air is oxygen.
Without oxygen we cannot breath
and fires wont burn.
Oxygen is produced by plants
(during photosynthesis).

Oxygen is used in hospitals
to help us breathe.
t also used in welding and
as rocket fuel.
Ca7-on dioxide Carbon dioxide is needed by
plants when they make food
(during photosynthesis).
All living organisms breath out
carbon dioxide when they make
energy (from food).

Carbon dioxide is the gas in
fizzy drinks. t is also used
in fire extinguishers.
Ni97ogen Nitrogen is the main gas in air.
(about 80%)
Nitrogen is used to make
plant food (fertilizer) and is
also in explosives.

a9e7 vapou7 Water vapour is formed when
water evaporates. There is lots of
water vapour in the air we breathe
out.

When water vapour in the
air cools down it forms
clouds.
HeIium There is a small amount of helium
in the air.
t is a very light gas and is used in
balloons to help them float

n balloons to help them
float
A7gon There is a small amount of argon
in the air.

Argon is the gas inside
electric light bulbs


ndus97iaI Gases A7e VaIued fo7 Tei7 PysicaI and CemicaI P7ope79ies:

ndustrial gases are valued for one or more of the following properties:

#eac9ivi9y ne79ness CoIdness

These properties are utilized to produce specialty products, protect and maintain product quality, and lower
operating costs in steelmaking, metals manufacturing and fabrication, petroleum refining, chemicals and
pharmaceuticals manufacture, production of electronic equipment and components, the rubber and plastics
industries, food and beverage processing, glass manufacture, healthcare, pulp and paper and environmental
protection operations.

AppIica9ions and Uses of Common ndus97iaI Gases:

Tis page p7ovides a p7ope79ies-focused in97oduc9ion 9o indus97iaI gases and ci9es some of 9ei7 common
uses in indus97iaI, eaI9ca7e and envi7onmen9aI appIica9ions. or more detailed information about the
individual gases, visit our product-specific pages:

Oxygen Ni97ogen A7gon


Neon, K7yp9on,
Xenon
Ca7-on
Dioxide
Hyd7ogen

Gases ic A7e VaIued fo7 #eac9ivi9y:

Oxygen O2): Oxygen is valued, above all, for its reactivity. Oxygen enrichment of air is used to increase the
amount of oxygen available for combustion or biological activity. Biological activity enhancement includes medical
applications and environmental applications such as industrial waste water and sanitary sewage treatment
systems.
Oxygen enrichment of air in industrial processes increases reaction rates, which may permit greater throughput in
existing equipment or the ability to reduce the physical size of equivalent capacity new equipment.
Another benefit of oxygen enrichment versus use of plain air is energy savings and due to a reduction in the
amount of nitrogen and other gases passing through a furnace or through a chemical process. Reducing inert
gases which would otherwise have to be compressed or heated, can reduce energy consumption due to a
decrease in gas compression requirements or a reduction in the amount of fuel required to make a given amount
of product. Reducing the amount of hot gases vented to the atmosphere from combustion processes may also
decrease the size and cleanup costs associated with stack gas cleanup systems.
Oxygen's reactivity is commonly used in metals processing (steel, copper, lead, zinc), glass furnaces, cement
kilns, chemical manufacture, sewage treatment, pulp and paper manufacture, welding and cutting of metals, and
medical oxygen.
Hyd7ogen H2), me9ane CH4), and ca7-on monoxide CO): These gases react with oxygen and other
materials in combustion processes and in various chemical production processes. These gases are often
produced for use as raw materials for chemical manufacturing processes.
ydrogen is used in refineries to remove sulfur and to chemically restructure (reform) hydrocarbons. t is used to
hydrogenate unstable, unsaturated hydrocarbons and fatty acids in animal and vegetable oils. t is also used as a
reducing agent in steel and zinc manufacture removing oxygen that would react with and degrade the product.
e9ane CH4): Methane is naturally produced by biological activity. t is the primary component of "natural gas,
which is used as both a fuel and as a chemical raw material.
Ca7-on monoxide CO) is co-produced with hydrogen by steam reforming plants using methane or other
hydrocarbons as feedstock. t is a raw material for making monomers and other chemical products.
Ca7-on Dioxide CO2) does not react with oxygen, but will combine with other elements and compounds. Thus
its commercial uses include raw material for various chemical processes and as a neutralizing agent for alkaline
materials.
Gases ic A7e VaIued fo7 ne79ness:

nertness is a somewhat relative term and concept. Some industrial gases (helium, neon, a7gon, krypton and
xenon) are almost totally inert. elium and argon are commercially available in relatively large quantities. The
more expensive inert gases such as neon, krypton and xenon have much more limited availability.
Many applications requiring an "inert gas" use ni97ogen or ca7-on dioxide for that purpose. While not truly inert,
they have very little reactivity under normal pressure and temperature conditions and are much less expensive
than the other "inert" gases.
The naturally inert or "noble" gases are members of "Group 18" of the Periodic Table. They have their outermost,
or valence, electron shell complete (with two electrons for helium and eight for the other gases). The "noble"
gases are all monatomic.
Ni97ogen N2) and A7gon A7) are commonly used in the gaseous form to shield potentially reactive materials
from contact with oxygen. Nitrogen will react with oxygen at very high temperatures, as in furnaces, but it is inert
under most other circumstances. Argon, helium, neon, krypton and xenon are "noble gases" that are extremely
inert under all conditions.
Ca7-on Dioxide CO2) is also used as an inert gas in some applications, in particular for fire fighting. Both
portable fire extinguishers and total room fire extinguisher systems use carbon dioxide to extinguish flames
without damage to materials and without the risk of short circuiting electrical systems or damaging electronic
components.
Applications which require the property of inertness include blanketing of storage tanks and vessels that contain
flammable liquids or powders; blanketing of materials that would degrade in air, such as vegetable oil, spices, and
fragrances; maintaining controlled atmospheres for industrial activities such as growing silicon and germanium
crystals, manufacturing precision electronic devices, welding and soldering; preventing light bulb filaments from
burning; retarding evaporation of filaments with high molecular weight inert gases; sparging (bubbling a gas
through liquids) to reduce the amount of oxygen or other gases dissolved in a liquid; filling insulating spaces
between multi-pane windows; and creating non-flammable lighter-than-air devices such as balloons and dirigibles
(using helium instead of hydrogen).
iquefied Gases ic A7e VaIued as a Sou7ce of n9ense CoId:

iquid Ni97ogen N, N) and iquid Ca7-on Dioxide CO2) are valued because they com-ine in9ense
coIdness wi9 ine79ness. This combination is employed to rapidly chill and freeze food items (meat, fruit,
vegetables, baked goods, and dairy products). Rapid freezing results in very small ice crystals, less cellular
damage, and better-quality products after thawing.
The intense cold produced by these products can also be used to make normally soft and flexible materials hard
and rigid, allowing them to be ground, machined or fractured.
PysicaI P7ope79ies Ta-Ies fo7 ndus97iaI Gases:

Two tables on this website list boiling points, density and vapor pressures for industrial gases. One is
in Metric units and one in "English" units. The tables include data on other commonly encountered chemical raw
materials as well.

a9e7iaI Safe9y Da9a See9s - SDS - fo7 ndus97iaI Gas P7oduc9s:

a9e7iaI Safe9y Da9a See9s provide information about the composition, characteristics and
potential hazards of substances, plus precautions that should be taken and tips for safe
handling. MSDS also include data useful to emergency response personnel (and others)
about symptoms that may be caused by each substance and ways to deal with those
symptoms.

UG SDS a7e avaiIa-Ie fo7 oxygen, ni97ogen, a7gon and ca7-on dioxide, in gas and Iiquid fo7m.


rof Shakhashlrl wwwsclfunorg ChemlsLry 1031
CASLS Cl 1PL Al8
1he alr around us ls a mlxLure of gases malnly nlLrogen and oxygen buL conLalnlng much smaller
amounLs of waLer vapor argon and carbon dloxlde and very small amounLs of oLher gases Alr also
conLalns
suspended dusL spores and bacLerla 8ecause of Lhe acLlon of wlnd Lhe percenL composlLlon of alr
varles only
sllghLly wlLh alLlLude and locaLlon 1he Lable lndlcaLes Lhe composlLlon of a Lyplcal sample of alr afLer all
waLer
vapor and suspended parLlcles have been removed
1he amounL of waLer ln Lhe alr varles Lremendously wlLh
locaLlon LemperaLure and Llme ln deserLs and aL low LemperaLures
Lhe conLenL of waLer vapor can be less Lhan 01 by volume ln
warm humld zones Lhe alr may conLaln over 6 waLer vapor
Alr ls Lhe commerclal source for many of Lhe gases lL conLalns lL ls separaLed lnLo lLs componenLs by
fracLlonal dlsLlllaLlon of
llquefled alr 8efore alr ls llquefled waLer vapor and carbon dloxlde are removed because Lhese
subsLances solldlfy when cooled
and would clog Lhe plpes of Lhe alr llquefacLlon planL 1he dry
CC2
free alr ls compressed Lo abouL 200 aLmospheres 1hls compresslon causes Lhe alr Lo become warm
and Lhe heaL ls removed
by passlng Lhe compressed alr Lhrough radlaLors 1he cooled compressed alr ls Lhen allowed Lo expand
rapldly 1he rapld expanslon
causes Lhe alr Lo become cold so cold LhaL some of lL condenses
8y Lhe alLernaLe compresslng and expandlng of alr mosL of lL can
be llquefled
nlLrogen ls obLalned from llquld alr by dlsLlllaLlon aL
196LC 1he gas obLalned by Lhls process ls acLually a mlxLure of
nlLrogen and abouL 123 noble (or lnerL") gases argon neon krypLon and xenon nlLrogen ls second
only Lo
sulfurlc acld ln Lhe volume produced by Lhe uS chemlcal lndusLry lLs ma[or uses are as an lnerL
blankeLlng
aLmosphere ln chemlcal processlng (14) elecLronlcs (13) and ln llquld form as a freezlng agenL
(21)
nlLrogen ls used Lo make agrlculLural ferLlllzers such as ammonla and nlLraLes lL ls also used ln Lhe
producLlon
of acrylonlLrlle CP2
CPCn whlch ls lmporLanL ln Lhe manufacLure of synLheLlc flbers such as Crlon and ln Lhe
producLlon of cyanamlde PnCnP whlch ls polymerlzed Lo Melamlne plasLlc 8ecause lL ls a very poor
oxldlzlng agenL nlLrogen ls used Lo pack oxldlzable foods such as ground coffee and as an lnerL
aLmosphere ln
Lhe manufacLure of elecLronlc componenLs Llquefled nlLrogen because lL ls very cold ls used
exLenslvely Lo chlll
maLerlals for preservaLlon as ln freezedrylng of foods and ln manufacLurlng processes LhaL requlre low
LemperaLures such as machlnlng of alumlnum
1he llghLer noble gas neon ls obLalned from alr lLs bolllng polnL (246LC) ls Loo low for neon Lo condense
durlng Lhe llquefacLlon of alr and neon concenLraLes ln Lhe gas LhaL remalns afLer alr ls llquefled (1hls
remalnlng
gas also conLalns hellum buL Lhe ma[or commerclal source of hellum ls naLural gas ln whlch lLs
concenLraLlon ls
much hlgher Lhan lL ls ln alr) 1he heavler noble gases argon krypLon and xenon are obLalned by Lhe
fracLlonal
dlsLlllaLlon of llquld alr under Lhe proper condlLlons a fracLlon conLalnlng roughly 60 noble gases 30
oxygen and 10 nlLrogen can be obLalned from llquld alr Cxygen ls removed from Lhe mlxLure by
passlng lL
over hoL copper Cxygen reacLs wlLh hoL copper Lo form copper(ll) oxlde CuC 1he remalnlng gas ls a
mlxLure
of noble gases and nlLrogen 1hls mlxLure ls Lhe gas used Lo flll lncandescenL llghL bulbs nlLrogen ls
removed
from Lhe mlxLure by passlng Lhe mlxLure over hoL magneslum whlch reacLs wlLh nlLrogen Lo form
magneslum
nlLrlde Mg3n2
1he remalnlng gas ls a mlxLure of argon neon krypLon and xenon 8ecause Lhese elemenLs
arechemlcally very unreacLlve chemlcal means cannoL be used Lo separaLe Lhem 1hey are separaLed by
adsorblng
Lhe llquld mlxLure onLo acLlvaLed charcoal aL very low LemperaLure As Lhe acLlvaLed charcoal ls warmed
slowly
each gas desorbs lndlvldually ln a parLlcular LemperaLure range When Lhe LemperaLure ls ralsed Lo
80LC Lhe gas
LhaL escapes ls nearly pure argon As Lhe LemperaLure ls ralsed Lo hlgher LemperaLures nearly pure
krypLon and
Lhen xenon are released
Argon ls Lhe mosL abundanL and mosL used of Lhe noble gases lLs chlef uses are ln meLallurgy where lL
provldes an lnerL aLmosphere ln whlch hoL meLals can be worked 8ecause argon ls so very unreacLlve lL
prevenLs
chemlcal reacLlons of Lhe very hoL meLal belng welded or forged erhaps Lhe mosL famlllar use of Lhe
noble gases
ls ln neon" slgns 1hese are lamps consLrucLed usually from clear colorless glass Lubes fllled wlLh a gas
whlch
emlLs llghL when an elecLrlc currenL passes Lhrough lL ure neon ln such a Lube produces orangered
llghL argon
produces bluegreen (CLher gases are also used for example mercury vapor produces blue llghL CLher
colors
are produced by uslng colored Lubes mlxLures of gases and fluorescenL coaLlngs lnslde Lhe Lubes)
nearly all commerclal oxygen (over 93) ls produced by fracLlonal dlsLlllaLlon of llquld alr lL bolls aL
183LC Cxygen ls Lhe Lhlrd hlghesLvolume chemlcal produced ln Lhe uS and mosL of Lhls producL ls
more Lhan
993 pure Cxygen ls paramagneLlc LhaL ls lL ls aLLracLed Lo a magneL Llquld oxygen ls pale blue 1he
ma[or
commerclal uses of oxygen are ln meLal manufacLurlng (30) meLal fabrlcaLlng (33) and ln healLh
servlces
(13) ln Lhe sLeel lndusLry oxygen ls passed Lhrough lmpure molLen lron ln a blasL furnace Lo oxldlze
and
remove lmpurlLles such as carbon sulfur phosphorus and slllcon Cxygen ls also used as Lhe oxldanL ln
Lorch
cuLLlng of sLeel ln Lhls process Lhe sLeel ls heaLed by an oxygenaceLylene flame and a sLream of hoL
oxygen ls
dlrecLed aL Lhe hoL sLeel 1he hoL sLeel ls oxldlzed by Lhe hoL oxygen and erodes away severlng Lhe
sLeel Cxygen
ls also used exLenslvely ln Lhe chemlcal lndusLry such as ln Lhe producLlon of nlLrlc acld PnC3
from ammonla
nP3

1he reacLlon of oxygen wlLh anoLher gas can lead Lo an exploslon 1here are Lwo reasons why a reacLlon
resulLs ln an exploslon and Lherefore Lwo Lypes of exploslons 1hermal exploslons resulL from
LemperaLure
effecLs on Lhe raLe of a reacLlon Chaln reacLlon exploslons resulL from Lhe behavlor of Lhe reacLlng
molecules
ln a Lhermal exploslon Lhe heaL released by Lhe reacLlon lncreases Lhe LemperaLure of Lhe reacLlng
mlxLure
1hls lncreased LemperaLure lncreases Lhe raLe of Lhe reacLlon lf heaL released by Lhe reacLlon cannoL
escape Lhe
raLe of Lhe reacLlon lncreases rapldly and an exploslon can resulL PeaL ls llkely Lo bulld up ln a reacLlng
gas
mlxLure when Lhe pressure ls hlgh because under Lhese condlLlons lndlvldual hoL" molecules cannoL
move very
far and Lhe energy ls conLalned 1hus Lhermal exploslons are llkely Lo occur aL hlgh pressures
ln a chaln reacLlon exploslon Lhe reacLlon occurs ln such a way LhaL Lhe number of hlghly reacLlve
parLlcles (called free radlcals) lncreases durlng Lhe reacLlon 1he reacLlon of hydrogen and oxygen occurs
ln such
a fashlon lf Lhe pressure ls very low free radlcals are llkely Lo colllde wlLh Lhe walls of Lhe conLalner
before
reacLlng wlLh oLher molecules and no exploslon occurs lf Lhe pressure ls hlgh Lhe free radlcals are llkely
Lo
colllde wlLh each oLher LermlnaLlng a reacLlon chaln and no exploslon occurs Cnly when free radlcals
colllde wlLh molecules and
generaLe oLher free radlcals does Lhe chaln reacLlon conLlnue produclng an exploslon 1hus chaln
reacLlon exploslons are llkely Lo
occur aL lnLermedlaLe pressures
1he flgure shows how Lhe exploslveness of a hydrogenoxygen mlxLure depends on LemperaLure and
pressure Lxploslon
occurs ln Lhe shaded area AL 800k and low pressure no exploslon
occurs As Lhe pressure ls ralsed Lhe mlxLure enLers Lhe chaln reacLlon exploslon reglon As Lhe pressure
ls ralsed furLher Lhe mlxLure
ls no longer exploslve When Lhe pressure ls lncreased even more
Lhe mlxLure enLers Lhe Lhermal exploslon reglon
nov 2007

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