Forewarned is forearmed. Part 1

Photosynthesis, gun, eggs, bread and soda

A pistol (pneumatic) is not only a weapon for hitting a target. He has one thing in common with a man - to produce carbon dioxide (also carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic anhydride, and also dry ice in the solid state). People did not come to a final conclusion about the optimal amount of carbon dioxide: some believe that a lot of it is needed and a person’s existence is impossible without him, others argue that the smaller it is, the better.
Who will judge their dispute?



Currently, instruments for measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide are not yet very common, but they are closer in price and delivery rate. It is necessary to make the use of the device a necessity, so that it is not just a toy, but plays an active role in each room, and along with the usual thermometer has become an indispensable means of ensuring a high quality of life.
Ahead there is a huge field of activity for researchers, medical workers, electronics engineers, programmers and other specialists in creating advanced i-ventilation (for the simple reason - with brains).
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The article shows examples of the practical use of the MT8057 carbon dioxide level gauge: a study of plant photosynthesis and egg breathing, a study of the situation in the office, and finding out the reason why Mayakovsky tried to eradicate all meetings.
The meter experienced shock at gunpoint and a glass of soda, visited the kitchen, in a bucket of potatoes and a bag of bread, went down to the cellar and rolled in the car.

The article turned out to be voluminous and divided into three parts to improve perception.

• Part 1: photosynthesis, all living things breathe, shock measurements.
• Part 2: room ventilation, damage to the assembly, the advantage of two instruments for conducting experiments .
• Part 3: graphics, calibration, analysis of the device, the principle of operation, fermentation .

Judging by the indications of the devices, the patient is much better, his cardiogram has already straightened

Like all living organisms, plants breathe around the clock, absorbing oxygen, and emitting carbon dioxide and water. When sunlight appears in the leaves of plants, photosynthesis begins: the reaction of carbon dioxide from air and water, as a result of which carbohydrates are formed to nourish the plant, and oxygen is released. The rate of formation of oxygen during photosynthesis is higher than the rate of its absorption during respiration. Therefore, during the day (in the light), the plants mainly produce oxygen, and at night they absorb it, emitting carbon dioxide.
In order for the plant to feed on hydrocarbon food and grow better under conditions of short duration of daylight, artificial lighting is used, optimally selecting its spectrum and intensity for better photosynthesis.

To test the theory, a computerized installation was assembled in which two pre-watered violets together with a carbon dioxide detector (the height of the stand under the instrument was 85 mm) were placed in a sealed translucent container 360x250x130 mm. The experiment was inspired by the electrical engineer, now retired David Latimer with his tradescantia .









The result of the experiment is a graph of carbon dioxide concentration during photosynthesis. Although the sun was drawn during the day, the sky was cloudy throughout the day.



Explanation of the schedule.
12/10/14
18:17 start of the experiment with a carbon dioxide concentration of 552 ppm. The container is installed on the first floor of the building’s western window.
11.12.14
08:03 sunrise.
8:20 maximum concentration of 1779 ppm.
14:40 minimum concentration of 625 ppm.
15:10 sunset.
12.12.14
8:04 Sunrise.
8:50 maximum concentration of 1623 ppm.
13:43 The minimum concentration is 1256 ppm.
15:10 sunset.
20:37 at a concentration of 1435 ppm, artificial lights are turned on - a 100 W incandescent lamp (from old stocks).
20:51 maximum concentration of 1447 ppm.
12/13/14
3:00 The backlight is off, the minimum concentration is 293 ppm.
8:05 sunrise
11:50 maximum concentration of 1202 ppm.
Concentration after sunrise increased longer than in the previous day. Accordingly, photosynthesis from sunlight also began later. Perhaps the vital activity of violets affected:
- change in daily rhythm (nightlife from the lamp);
- A large amount of oxygen released during the night;
- increase in night temperature from the usual 22 to 31 degrees from the lamp of artificial lighting;
- release of toxic substances from a plastic container when heated by an incandescent lamp.
The value of the maximum concentration is lower than the previous day, since at night, with artificial light, oxygen was produced.
12:37, the minimum concentration of 1144 ppm was reached earlier than on the previous day, that is, photosynthesis and, accordingly, oxygen production on this day did not last long.
15:10 sunset.
12/14/14
8:06 Sunrise.
8:31 The maximum concentration is 2139 ppm.
14:05 minimum concentration of 1972 ppm.
15:10 sunset.
At 15:27 at a concentration of 2004 ppm, the daughter demanded to stop the “flower killing” and the experiment was stopped in order to save the plants, because the “cardiogram” began to straighten - the slope of the falling part of the curve decreased, and the subsequent increase in carbon dioxide concentration slowed down.

From the moment of launching the plant to the completion of the experiment, the concentration of carbon dioxide increased 4 times. It is possible that the flower did not die, but only went into a zone of comfortable concentration of carbon dioxide for itself.
The leaves, which closely adjoined the upper lid of the container, “soured” (seen in the attached photo album) from the absence of an air gap and the inability to breathe, or from overheating during the work of the backlight lamp.
Artificial lighting disrupted the life rhythm of the plant.
The increase in carbon dioxide concentration (ascending parts of the graph) on the whole day is approximately the same, even on the night with artificial illumination, when the increase in concentration is divided into two stages.
An interesting range of fluctuations in the concentration of carbon dioxide. Compare it with the one in the bank at Latimer. He reported that not everyone had the experience. Maybe, besides the composition of the soil, the presence of water and the type of plant, the moment of closing the can plays a role - the daily phase of the plant's life and the carbon dioxide / oxygen ratio at that moment? It is possible that Latimer breathed into the jar before sealing, while others did not. In fact, plants are not easy - Joseph Priestley proved that plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, and Karl Scheele could not confirm this. The thing is that Scheele loved to work at night, in the dim candlelight.

If in one place departed, then in the other arrived

Chlorophyll, located in the leaves of most plants, has an absorption spectrum, with major peaks at 429, 453, 660 and 642 nm (0.642 μm). Good picture on this topic in the article “ Chlorophyll a ”.



By absorbing full-color sunlight, the chlorophyll peaks of its absorption reduce the blue and red components, as a result of which the middle of the visible light range is mainly reflected and the leaf acquires a green color. In different plants, the ratio of absorption at the peaks is different, so the shades of green change. In the autumn, the absorption stops and the leaves turn to other colors.
Hence, there are requirements for the backlight lamps - their radiation spectrum should be as close as possible to the absorption spectrum of a particular plant. In most cases, the most effective light sources emitting in the ranges of blue and red colors. With a green lamp, the harvest will not work.

Results
1. Photosynthesis occurs even in cloudy weather, but with the Sun it is more effective.
2. The break points on the graph of changes in carbon dioxide concentration approximately coincide with the time of sunrise / sunset (if there was no nightlife under artificial lighting), which indicates a high efficiency of solar energy conversion.
3. The device can be used to select the optimal parameters of artificial lighting.
4. It is said that some plants, an example of sansevieria, produce oxygen at night. It would be necessary to check this tongue tongue for a bite tail.
5. Plants live in solar time, making the most of the energy of light. And no orders about summer and winter time, they do not decree.

All secret becomes clear at the wrong time

From the refrigerator, in addition to sausage and cheese, oxygen constantly disappears. Eggs fell under suspicion.



The experience confirmed the hunch - they breathe, which was recorded at 07:27 on carbon dioxide emitted.



Thus, the degree of freshness of eggs can be determined from the concentration of carbon dioxide. For home use it is not very convenient, but for scientific purposes it is quite applicable.

As it turned out, a loaf of bread was also breathing (580 ppm against the background). Is it the yeast that survived the bakery?



In an open bucket of potatoes, the level was 657 ppm with a background value of 582 ppm.

The measurements were also carried out in the cellar with winter stocks of potatoes, but the experiment failed because during the preparation, fresh air ran through the entrance hatch and quickly returned readings to normal. According to the mind, it is advisable to leave the meter for a day in a closed cellar alone with a recording computer.

In the kitchen, during cooking, the carbon dioxide level rises, even if the kitchen is equipped with a natural ventilation system. Before starting cooking on a gas stove, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the room was 660 ppm, after completion, after about an hour - 1865 ppm.
Maybe this is why women live longer than men (if the version of the need for carbon dioxide is correct)?

The glass is completely empty.
Pessimist: everyone drank.
Optimist: not yet poured!

The test with soda, like a pistol shooting, turned out to be shock for the device. The value of the final concentration and the rate of its change reach such values ​​that the device does not show the growth process and goes to the beyond state, demonstrating the inscription “Hi” (> 3000 ppm). Therefore, it was decided to abandon the intended experience of “vinegar - soda”, it is clear that carbon dioxide is released there in huge quantities. For such measurements need a device with a different range of work.
For the same reason, this device cannot measure the concentration of carbon dioxide directly in the air exhaled by man, the siphon for the preparation of carbonated beverages, carbon dioxide fire extinguisher.
Of the six shots made on the test bench (photo at the beginning of the article), the device only once showed an intermediate value of a rapidly increasing parameter.
From the experiment, it is possible to estimate the speed of response of the sensor to a significant impact. The reaction time is influenced by the number of holes in the instrument case, the location of the sensor and the rate of gas diffusion through its filters.

Video of the process can be seen in the movies:
1. CO2 meter and soda.



2. CO2 meter and pneumatic.



In preparation for shooting a movie with a pistol shooting, a gas leak through the barrel was detected. Thus, the meter can be used to detect the onset of leakage from devices containing carbon dioxide — pneumatic weapons, fire extinguishers, etc.

A lot of photos - instructions for working with the device and its main technical characteristics, measurement results, printed circuit board and work schedules are given in the album “ Carbon Dioxide Meter ”.

Reference to the acquisition, software for connecting to a computer, description and technical characteristics of the carbon dioxide detector MT8057.

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