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An Airbag Analysis! The Chemistry Behind Airbags

Oct 20, 2024

Andrew Lee

Last week, I was driving in the car when I noticed the word "Airbag" etched into my dashboard, and it got me thinking. Airbags provide cushioning in case of an accident to prevent passengers' heads from hitting the dashboard, but what are the mechanics behind airbags? How can they inflate so fast and stop your head in such a split second?


Curiously enough, it's all chemistry! Inside these airbags is a chemical compound known as sodium azide—a solid white powder at room temperature. As such, it doesn't take up much space and can easily be stored inside the dashboard in a compartment. However, upon heating, sodium azide will decompose to form nitrogen gas. As such, when you get into an accident, the car will produce an electrical shock that ignites the sodium azide and catalyzes its decomposition into nitrogen gas. This reaction happens extremely quickly as sodium azide is highly reactive and results in the rapid inflation of the airbag, saving that pretty face of yours from hitting the dashboard.


However, airbags aren't perfect. Due to the extremely high reaction rate, the airbag inflates rapidly and can sometimes hit your face with high impact. Though it is generally favorable compared to the alternative, car crash victims will often suffer bruising on their faces due to the force of the airbag.


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