Chemistry+Applications+Essay+5

Chemistry Applications Essay

Jackson DeGregorio Mr. Ceccerelli Chemistry Application Essay 01/07/13

 Chemistry is all around us. Anywhere we go we are guaranteed that chemistry will have something to do with our everyday, especially if you are a scuba diver. The main danger of scuba diving is not the predators around you, it is a disease called the Bends. The Bends lead to about 42 deaths per year, which may not seem like a lot, but considering that 90 people die scuba diving each year, it is much more than people realize. This makes the bends a serious issue, and education about this disease is vital to anyone who is planning on scuba diving any time. The Bends is a serious chemical problem within the body, dealing with nitrogen intake into the bloodstream and pressure. If divers are not careful, they could die in the middle of the ocean because of the bends.  What causes the bends is too much nitrogen intake into the bloodstream. Normally, when we breathe, the air we take in is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. At normal atmospheric pressure, most of the nitrogen is left alone, while a very small portion of the nitrogen is dissolved into the bloodstream. Whenever pressure rises (like at deep sea levels) gases dissolve into the solution more, this causes more oxygen and nitrogen to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Oxygen is not a problem since it can just be picked up by hemoglobin and carried away by blood cells. To attach to hemoglobin, Oxygen bonds with an Iron atom in the heme group of hemoglobin. Nitrogen cannot attach to the Iron so it stays dissolved in the blood and does not get carried away to your tissues like Oxygen. This causes a feeling of euphoria, which is like breathing in “laughing gas” which is nitrous oxide, a similar compound to what is being dissolved into the bloodstream. This causes divers to ignore their equipment, other divers, and they can even drown. The descent is not as much of a problem as the ascent. Too quick of an ascent causes the nitrogen to leave the bloodstream too quickly and cause bubbles around the body, including the brain and muscles. These can block small blood vessels and cause a stroke, heart attack, or lung problems. To avoid getting the bends, a slow descent is required, and sometimes stopping points every so often if you go extremely deep. (sort of like how there are checkpoints on everest to prevent too much oxygen loss.) Diving twice in a row at large depths can also be dangerous because nitrogen will flood the bloodstream more quickly the second time.

BIBLIOGRAPHY/CITATIONS

Friedunerich, Ph.D., Craig. “How Scuba Works” 29 May 2001. HowStuffWorks.com. < [] > 03 January 2013.

Gibb, Natalie. “The Sponge Analogy: Understanding Nitrogen Absorption and Scuba Diving” 03 January 2013. About.com. < [] > 03 January 2013.

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