Thread: Nitrogen tires
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Old 03-19-2016, 03:49 PM   #148 (permalink)
RedDevil
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech View Post
Um if I recall my chemistry class correctly nitrogen has an atomic weight of 14 and oxygen is at 16. So the nitrogen would be more likely to seep out unless there is an oxidation reaction occurring converting the oxygen into an organic oxide?
Atomic weight is not the same as atomic size.
The electrons are grouped in layers around the nucleus and more electrons just fill the voids in the outer layer. As there are more protons in the oxygen nucleus the pull is stronger too.
The combined effect means that the heavier oxygen atoms are in fact slightly smaller than nitrogen atoms. The science in the youtube vid is solid.

Oxygen does indeed seep out slightly faster than nitrogen. Which I checked by trying to light a match in a plasic bag I filled with air from a tire that had been aired years before. I could strike it but it would not burn.
When I blew the same bag up I could light and burn a match inside, even thoug the air I exhaled must have had slightly less oxygen than ambient air.
The air inside the tire had even less. Apparently it escaped over time and only the nitrogen stayed behind.

Oxygen seepage leaves you with increasingly pure nitrogen. Use air.
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