The sodium azide cartridge in an air bag is activated by a firing signal, at which point nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other gases are released. The gases inflate a rubber-lined nylon bag in about ...

Many car airbag inflators contain small amounts of a toxic molecule called sodium azide, or NaN 3 (one sodium atom and three nitrogen atoms combined). Sodium azide breaks down very quickly when heated ...

Airbags have been a standard safety feature ... At impact, a sensor sends an electrical charge to a reservoir containing the chemical sodium azide. The charge creates an explosion, turning the ...

By this definition, airbag inflators aren’t really explosives, since they are powered by the rapid chemical decomposition of nitrogenous compounds, commonly sodium azide in the presence of ...