What kind of gas are balloons inflated with? How to inflate balloons with helium and without helium at home: ways. How to easily and quickly inflate a balloon with your mouth, pump, using a helium balloon, bottle, soda and vinegar: rules, instructions. How to inflate foil
And how do you answer the question of what kind of gas they fill Balloons? The answer "air" is not entirely correct. inflated in the usual way, that is, the mouth, the balls are filled with a gas mixture, which is much heavier than air, so they can take off only if they are thrown up, and then their flight lasts only a couple of seconds.
After reading our article, you will know exactly how balloons are inflated so that they fly, with what gas balloons are inflated at home.
How are balloons inflated to make them fly?
Multi-colored balloons are, of course, good, but even better when they burst from the hands up. The feeling of readiness for flight causes delight and joy in children and adults. It seems that behind the back grow wings.
In order for the balloons to fly, they must be pumped with a gas that is lighter than air and can create enough lift to lift the shell. This is known from the school physics course. What gas is used to inflate balloons? Theoretically, several gases are suitable for this purpose.
- Neon, an inert gas that is less dense than air, is relatively safe, but too expensive to use to fill balloons.
- Hydrogen is the lightest gas, and it is not difficult to obtain it in the course of a simple chemical experience with caustic soda at home. But when mixed with air and oxygen, hydrogen is flammable and explosive. The slightest spark is enough to cause a powerful explosion.
- Nitrogen is a light and widespread gas in the atmosphere, but, alas, its lifting force is too small to lift even a tiny ball.
- Methane is classified as a toxic gas because it has a negative effect on the central nervous system.
What are the balloons filled with? According to international standards safety, balloons are inflated with helium - in its pure form or with an air-helium mixture. Let's see what kind of gas it is, named by its discoverer Pierre Jansen in honor of the Sun.
What gas is used to inflate balloons?
Helium is better than other gases for pumping balloons. In terms of lightness, it ranks second after hydrogen, but unlike hydrogen, it is non-toxic, non-flammable and non-explosive. That is why they fill balls all over the world.
Helium is considered a relatively safe gas. Danger threatens with its intensive inhalation, since it displaces oxygen from the lungs and, thus, causes suffocation. If you inhale just a little helium from the balloon, then there will be no harm. You will start talking in a funny voice because your vocal cords will vibrate much faster than usual. But everything is good in moderation.
In nature, helium in its pure form is extremely rare. It is mined from natural gas by fractional distillation in the factory. Helium is sold in both large and portable cylinders - 10 and 40 liters. However, is it worth buying a heavy gas equipment to inflate some balloons for a house party?
How to inflate balloons instead of helium at home?
If you do not have the necessary gas equipment at hand, do not be discouraged. You can make balloons fly without it. Hydrogen, the lightest gas, is used instead of helium. To inflate one balloon, you will need:
- plastic bottle,
- warm water (1 cup)
- a few wads of aluminum foil
- caustic soda (2-3 teaspoons).
Pour water into the bottle, dip the foil and soda inside. Put the ball on the neck. Shake the bottle gently. Wait until the shell is filled with hydrogen released during the reaction.
This method is not safe because hydrogen can explode. Therefore, if you do not have helium, it is better to order balloons from a trusted company.
Based on materials mechtalion.ru.
The colorful balloons floating in the air are very popular. The disadvantage of this entertainment is only that the balloons fly only when filled with helium. However, a balloon with this gas costs a little more. Fortunately, there are several ways to make it yourself and avoid high costs. So how to do helium balloon at home?
How to make a helium balloon yourself: basic aspects
Helium is a non-toxic and non-flammable gas that is lighter than air. For this reason, it is used to fill balloons. Helium available in cylinders various sizes and packaging. The smallest commercial container is a disposable bottle of helium gas. With this amount of gas, you can inflate 8-10 round helium balloons with a diameter of about 25 cm, and this pleasure will cost from 1500 to 1700 rubles.
However, as already mentioned, we can make flying balls on our own and with minimal cost. True, to inflate the balloon, we will not use helium, since its synthesis requires very low temperatures that can only be achieved in the laboratory. In our case, the balloons will fly as a result of chemical reactions using available and inexpensive substances, so it makes sense to say that the balloons will be like helium.
About what chemical reactions in question? In order for the balloon to fly, we need a gas that is lighter than air. Since helium cannot be synthesized in one's pantry, one more more accessible gas remains - hydrogen. Moreover, it is much lighter not only than air, but also helium, so balloons with hydrogen inside will soar up much faster. By the way, earlier with the help of this gas airships and balloons were lifted into the air.
Hydrogen can be obtained in the conditions of home cooking with the help of such available materials, How:
- table vinegar;
- baking soda;
- aluminum foil or wire;
- salt;
- copper sulfate;
- drinking water.
Making a flying ball: master classes
Well, as they say, less words, more action. First, consider a simpler and less costly way to inflate a balloon with hydrogen.
Acid and sodium bicarbonate
Necessary materials:
- 150 g sodium bicarbonate or soda;
- table vinegar - 500 ml;
- plastic bottle;
- balloon.
Process description:
Copper sulfate and salt
Necessary materials:
- medical dropper;
- a bottle with a capacity of one liter (preferably glass, since heat will be generated during the reaction and the plastic may melt);
- copper sulfate - 100 g;
- table salt - 100-150 g;
- aluminum, preferably in the form of a wire up to 2 m long;
- tap water - 0.7 l;
- balloon.
Process description:
Thus, the balloon will be inflated without helium to fly, and the whole process will take you about 20 minutes.
What determines the duration of the flight of helium balloons?
The flight time of balloons filled with gas depends on the type of material used. In conventional balloons, helium quickly escapes from the pores of the shell material. That is why they often use special latex balloons of a traditional round shape or any other.
Round helium balloons under normal conditions environment fly up to 10 hours. Balls made of special foil keep gas much longer - up to several days. In addition, they are reusable and can always be supplemented with gas or air.
More than a hundred years have passed since Norman Lockyer discovered helium, and William Ramsay first learned how to extract it from a radioactive mineral called cleaveite. Since then, this amazing knows any student. It's nice to watch how, for example, in a store, in an instant, a piece of rubber turns into a colored cloud. with helium look especially easy and beautiful. It looks like they want to fly into the sky. With such toys, you always want to decorate an apartment for some holiday in order to create a pleasant and cheerful mood. Let's see if it is possible to make helium at home using improvised means?
Is it possible to make helium for balloons at home?
As is known, more than half of the total supply of helium is located in it. Most of it is concentrated in its granite shell. Therefore, if you need this, go to the nearest mine, do not forget to take a couple of empty cylinders with you. Make your way to the granite beds and pump helium from the cluster or from the uranium springs. Of course, this is unrealistic, just as it is impossible to make helium for balloons at home. Even if you purchase special equipment, the necessary catalysts and protective suit, your success will zero. You will not find stories about how to make helium on your own in any school chemistry textbook. There are special factories for the production of this desired chemical element. Therefore, no one can make a mysterious element on his own.
How to make helium for balloons at home?
However, inflating a light and weightless balloon at home on your own is a completely solvable problem. True, only a composition will be obtained that is similar in its properties to the known chemical element. All you need is baking soda, vinegar and a little patience. To do this, pour one tablespoon of soda into the deflated balloon. Then take an empty plastic bottle, carefully pour some vinegar into it. Now quickly put the ball on the bottle, holding it at the base. Pour baking soda into the container. Helium for balloons at home is ready. The balloon will quickly inflate itself. When he reaches the right sizes, pinch the tip of the air sphere and release it by removing it from the bottle. Tie the base with a thread or gift ribbon, wrap it twice so that the design does not come undone.
Conclusion
Blow up balloons with the kids. At the same time, turn the whole procedure into a spectacular spectacle. Say that you will show the trick that the balloon will inflate without your effort. Children will definitely appreciate your skills. Teach the kids how to inflate balloons in this way, and there will be no limit to their delight, but they will have to do this under your supervision. Decorate an apartment for a birthday with ready-made crafts, and all guests will surely like the surprise. The main thing is to tie all the knots on the balls stronger so that your colored miracle does not expire before the arrival of relatives and friends.
Balloons are able to decorate any holiday and create a unique atmosphere in the room.
Everything for decoration children's holiday balloons can be found on the website sharik.ua.
Equipment types
Aerodesign, this is what is called the creation of compositions from balloons is gaining more and more popularity. Many firms offer their services in decorating premises for a holiday, making bouquets and gift figures from balloons.
To inflate balloons today use:
- gas installations for filling balloons with helium. This gas is much lighter than air, so the balloons inflated with it will tend to rise. In some cases, balloons are filled with a mixture of air and helium, this allows you to influence the properties inflated balloon. It should be remembered that only special balloons made of finely porous material can be filled with helium;
- there is special equipment for inflating balloons with a mixture of gases. But in this case, the process of filling the ball is significantly delayed. In some cases, it is better to first fill the balloon with helium, and then pump it up hand pump to the required volume;
- runic or electric pumps pump air into the balloon. In this case, a special nozzle can be used that will fill the balloon with confetti. This is especially useful when making large surprise balls.
Often, when creating large arches from balloons, balloons inflated with both air and helium are used at the same time. helium balloons lift the structure up, while balloons serve as a kind of weighting agent and pull the arch down. As a result of such a neighborhood, you can get interesting and extraordinary compositions.
Rules for working with helium
To inflate balloons with helium, special gas equipment is used. Helium is in a cylinder under high pressure. And, although helium is not a flammable gas, gas leakage is possible if the cylinder is leaking or other equipment malfunctions. The force with which the gas escapes outward can overturn the cylinder, which can lead to injury to people nearby.
Often in feature films, you can see how characters inhale helium from a balloon and start talking in a funny voice. Before deciding to repeat this on your own, you should find out that helium is dangerous for humans. If a large amount of this gas enters the lungs, death can occur.
When elementary safety rules are followed, working with equipment for inflating balloons is not difficult.
How to properly inflate balloons (video tutorials):
Balloons are an essential attribute of festive events. Therefore, in this material we tell you how to inflate a balloon without helium. To make it fly, you must use one of the methods below at home.
Ways to inflate a balloon without helium so that it flies
Since it is impossible to inflate a balloon with helium without a balloon, we advise you to choose an alternative. At home, it is quite simple to do this by considering our life hacks.
No. 1. Alkali
To carry out manipulations by the hydrogen method, you must take:
- warm water;
- flask;
- foil;
- a teaspoon;
- alkali (for example, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda)).
1. Pour water into the flask to fill the container ½. Send inside the foil cut into small pieces.
2. Measure out 3 tablespoons of soda and pour. Now, without delay, pull the ball over the neck of the flask.
3. Shake the container to start the reaction of the foil with sodium hydroxide. Hold the ball by the rubber band, it should not come off.
4. When the foil pieces dissolve and the balloon is inflated to your needs, remove it and make a knot.
Now you know how to make a gel ball at home.
No. 2. Battery with electrodes
Prepare the following:
- plastic basin (volume 15 l.);
- plastic bottles (2 pcs., 1 liter each);
- purified water;
- battery (12 watts);
- electrolyte (sulfuric acid);
- electrode (not strictly copper, but graphite).
Before inflating a balloon without helium, protect your eyes, breathing passages and skin. To make it fly better follow step by step instructions at home.
1. Pour water into the basin so that the liquid fills about ½ of the container. Now take a plastic bottle 1, fill it with electrolyte, stepping back from the neck by 3 cm.
2. Pull the ball over. Now make holes at the bottom of the bottle very tightly by inserting an electrode into them. The device must fit tightly enough so that the composition does not leak out.
3. Do the same with bottle 2. Now place these containers in the basin, put the battery nearby with the electrodes connected to it (follow the polarity +, -).
4. Connect the battery to the network, watch the process. A balloon stretched over a bottle with “-” polarity will be filled with hydrogen and rise, and the second one will be filled with oxygen, but will not fly.
No. 3. Copper sulfate with salt
Before inflating a balloon without helium, you need to prepare in advance:
- cool purified water;
- glass bottle;
- foil;
- table salt;
- copper sulfate.
To make it fly, follow the simple instructions at home. Protect your hands with gloves and wear goggles for protection.
1. From a piece of foil 20 * 20 cm, you need to cut strips of about 5 mm. Send the finished ribbons to a glass bottle.
2. Pour 85 gr. into the same container. salt and 75 gr. vitriol. Close the neck immediately. A reaction will start due to the supply of oxygen.
3. You can't do without an assistant, so act quickly. Pour into a bottle of 0.45 liters. purified water. Put the balloon on the neck immediately.
4. Hold it, otherwise it will fly off. The reaction will start immediately. You will be able to inflate several balloons, so don't waste your gas.
