Quotation from: General Science

Written by: Bertha M. Clark


50. A Commercial Use of Carbon Dioxide. If a lighted splinter is
thrust into a test tube containing carbon dioxide, it is promptly
extinguished, because carbon dioxide cannot support combustion; if a
stream of carbon dioxide and water falls upon a fire, it acts like a
blanket, covering the flames and extinguishing them. The value of a
fire extinguisher depends upon the amount of carbon dioxide and water
which it can furnish. A fire extinguisher is a metal case containing a
solution of bicarbonate of soda, and a glass vessel full of strong
sulphuric acid. As long as the extinguisher is in an upright position,
these substances are kept separate, but when the extinguisher is
inverted, the acid escapes from the bottle, and mixes with the soda
solution. The mingling liquids interact and liberate carbon dioxide.
A part of the gas thus liberated dissolves in the water of the soda
solution and escapes from the tube with the outflowing liquid, while a
portion remains undissolved and escapes as a stream of gas. The fire
extinguisher is therefore the source of a liquid containing the
fire-extinguishing substance and further the source of a stream of
carbon dioxide gas.

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