Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => That CAN'T be true! => Topic started by: Sahith on 11/05/2010 14:30:02

Title: How can we breathe under water?
Post by: Sahith on 11/05/2010 14:30:02

Sahith asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Can any one find lungs that makes us breath in water, so that we can avoid the problems of over population?

What do you think?

Title: How can we breathe under water?
Post by: doppler1 on 12/05/2010 13:58:28

Maybe the aqualung?.... :) Just kidding. I like the thought of this topic. In essence, oxygen is a component of water so we just need to unlock the right technology to access it I guess. It would be good if we could develop a cost effective technology to seperate the hydrogen and Oxygen molecules because then we could live underwater on the oxygen and use the hydrogen to power our machines and create the by product of water....which we could split again etc, etc. I think you are onto something here.

Title: How can we breathe under water?
Post by: imatfaal on 12/05/2010 16:08:38

Arent lungs for underwater called gills?  Admittedly gills extract dissolved Oxygen rather than splitting water into components.  I dont know the energy requirements but it might be that the oxygen we would require for respiration to provide the energy needed to split water into hydrogen and oxygen would be more than the oxygen we would gain - would come down to efficiency.

Matthew

Title: How can we breathe under water?
Post by: Bored chemist on 12/05/2010 19:27:28

Why bother?
It won't solve the overpopulation problem, it just postpones it a bit.

Title: How can we breathe under water?
Post by: JnA on 13/05/2010 06:34:25

In the Movie "The Abyss" one of the characters is 'taught' to breath a special liquid.

http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4257

Title: How can we breathe under water?
Post by: SeanB on 13/05/2010 22:26:53

The liquid is a flourocarbon that is liquid at room temperature, and which dissolves oxygen rather well, as well as other gases. It was used as a blood replacement that would be a quick fix for blood loss that is totally inert, and needs no refrigerated storage or type matching, and that can be recovered via the uring in a few weeks as the body excretes it unchanged. It never proved popular, as it has a very high price, and only transported oxygen to the cells, but did very little else that blood does. AFAIK remember it was called Flourinert.

Title: How can we breathe under water?
Post by: Geezer on 14/05/2010 01:54:14

Quote from: SeanB on 13/05/2010 22:26:53

The liquid is a flourocarbon that is liquid at room temperature, and which dissolves oxygen rather well, as well as other gases. It was used as a blood replacement that would be a quick fix for blood loss that is totally inert, and needs no refrigerated storage or type matching, and that can be recovered via the uring in a few weeks as the body excretes it unchanged. It never proved popular, as it has a very high price, and only transported oxygen to the cells, but did very little else that blood does. AFAIK remember it was called Flourinert.

I seem to remember seeing a demonstration where a cat was put in a tank of the stuff, apparently with no ill effects.

Title: How can we breathe under water?
Post by: Bored chemist on 14/05/2010 18:48:40

IIRC Fluorinert is the trade name for a range of fluorocarbons, but not blood substitutes (which are rather more complicated emulsions). I guess "flourinert" doesn't blow up flour mills.

The blood substitute fluorocarbons are exhaled as much as they are excreted in the urine- trapping for reuse them would be difficult.