another strange curio for the day

The Daily Curio

Curio #480 - Salt that breathes

An amusing fact for October 26, 2014 from Justin Kitch, Curious CEO

Imagine if scuba divers or lung patients could replace their heavy oxygen tanks with a few teaspoons of salt. Huh? Researchers in Denmark say they’ve invented a crystal that can do just that! This new compound is capable of pulling oxygen out of the air, and even out of water. Just one spoonful of the material can suck 99% of the oxygen from a room. The crystal is a salt made from cobalt. It can hold oxygen that is 160 times more concentrated than what we breathe. But the best part is that it can release the oxygen in low-oxygen conditions, similar to how hemoglobin works in our blood. So a scuba diver could potentially leave the tank above water, and let a handful of crystals absorb and release oxygen from the surrounding water. My brain is getting oxygen deprived just trying to grok this.

[Hidden]

now that would be a fantastic leap forward

[Hidden]

Yes an only IF, if some scientist has discovered this it should be time to start the ball rolling if not for us but for next generation.

[jimmyw123 in reply to Hidden]

yes, i did see this before its supposed to be for real,, but the question is,,,when?,, jimmy

[Hidden in reply to jimmyw123]

that is always the question why not start the labs tests now they know who knows like the ubiquitous aspirin they may even be able to synthesize it and produce a tablet that does the same

[Offcut]

Maybe I am not thinking this though or over thinking it. If something can absorb all this oxygen what do they need to get it out in a controlled way.

Would be a good for fire fighting too.

[helingmic]

They do say that people in salt mines were better. There's a salt pipe where you put ordinary salt and inhale the air through it and it bets you better, so they say. Saline through a nebuliser does the trick too.

The body does fantastic chemical exchanges in us, we are privileged machines (with a heart and brain, thank God!)