What Looks like Kool-Aid...
Tastes like Kool-Aid...
but IS NOT Kool-Aid?
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| Retrieved from: http://richardsdriving.co.uk/showme/ |
I’m sure many of us have
found ourselves shaking our heads while staring blankly under the hood of a
vehicle. Ever wondered what the reservoir of bright Kool-Aid coloured fluid is
under there? In conversations about engine fluids, you may have encountered the
word antifreeze. Although the term antifreeze suggests that it solely prevents
freezing, it also plays an equal role in preventing engines from overheating2.
Consequently, antifreeze is also sometimes called coolant. Although antifreeze/coolant
is not the hottest topic of
conversation (ha-ha), it is vital to the proper functioning of every motor
vehicle.
How does antifreeze
manage to complete such opposite tasks? The active ingredient in antifreeze is
typically ethylene glycol1. Ethylene glycol has a freezing point of
-13 °C and a boiling
point of 197°C2.
This means that, by adding ethylene glycol to water, we prevent water from
freezing at 0°C or
boiling at 100°C, as it normally
would if ethylene glycol were not added. In general, antifreeze/coolant
prevents engine damage by ensuring that the water involved does not freeze or
boil.
So, how is antifreeze
made? First, ethylene glycol is produced through the hydration of a chemical
known as ethylene oxide1. Ethylene glycol is then added to water at
varying concentrations1. Interestingly, mixing ethylene glycol with water
produces a clear colourless liquid, which is then died a particular colour to
differentiate it from other types of antifreeze1. Also,
we can assume that adding colour to antifreeze also makes it easier to see in a
reservoir.
While ethylene glycol is
characterized by a deceiving sweet taste, ingesting the chemical is very toxic1.
Symptoms of ingestion include: nausea, vomiting, cardiac problems, and many
more1. Current studies on the toxicity of ethylene glycol suggest
that ingestion of this chemical causes fatal kidney damage1,4.
Fortunately, potentially harmful doses of ethylene glycol are generally only
encountered in vehicle engines. If a particular vehicle emergency arises, the
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) suggests wearing protective equipment for
safe handling3. Overall, ethylene glycol is a very purposeful
compound that is primarily used for antifreeze, and in some cases, the
manufacturing of other materials such as polyester2. Although
you could have guessed it to be toxic, hopefully you’ve gained a better
understanding of how ethylene glycol’s properties make it an excellent
antifreeze (or coolant!).
Retrieved from: http://knowhow.napaonline.com/choose-the-correct-antifreeze-for-your-import-vehicle/
References
1Ethylene Glycol.
(2006). In N. Schlager, J. Weisblatt, & D. E. Newton (Eds.), Chemical
Compounds (Vol. 2, pp. 313-316). Detroit: UXL. Retrieved from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2200/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3441700086&v=2.1&u=mtroyalc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=d4159e5eec8d06229cc399af9d711329
2Rebsdat, S. &
Mayer, D. (2000). Ullmann’s Enclycopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Retrieved
from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2183/doi/10.1002/14356007.a10_101/full
3Material Safety Data Sheet -
Antifreeze. (2001). Retrieved from
4 TOXNET. (2013).
Ethylene Glycol. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~dfyrNA:3
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