2006-12-02 12:52:10 · 8 answers · asked by woodsonhannon53 6 in Environment
Yes they could, and in fact they do. Just plug up the air intake on your carburator or similar device and see if you can start your engine. But internal combustion engines require both a "fuel" an an "oxidizer" in order to create the energy to propell your car. You wouldn't want the earth's atmosphere to contain both at the same time, would you? One static electric spark and the whole planet would blow up.
2006-12-02 13:00:03 · answer #1 · answered by Sciencenut 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not just on the gases in the air, and it's not a technology thing, it's a chemistry thing. The air contains roughly 79% nitrogen(N2), 21% oxygen (O2), and a small amount of water (H2O), argon (Ar), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Now, H2O, Ar, CO2 are stable molecules and largely inert, and they are not present in large enough amounts to power anything even if they weren't. So we're left with O2 & N2. Any reaction would therefore react O2 and N2 to form a compond containing both elements. So our choice for products are: NO, NO2, N2O5, N2O4, or N2O. Each of these products has a positive heat of formation (in addition to being pollutents), meaning that the reaction which forms these products is endothemic and would require energy, not give it off. So there is no way that anything could run from just the air in the atmosphere, regardless of the level of technology.
2006-12-02 13:17:47 · answer #2 · answered by smartjock256 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't they already? They use the air to fuel the combustion in the combustion engine.
If you meant run ONLY on the gases in the air, the answer is "not using today's technology". There are no engines efficient enough to make any practical use out of any energy in the gases in the air. Not sure it's likely in the near future, either.
2006-12-02 12:57:44 · answer #3 · answered by sep_n 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I've recently seen some info on cars that run on compressed air, but the energy needed to compress that air doesn't directly come from the atmosphere.
2006-12-02 22:25:16 · answer #4 · answered by leothecomm 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, because the gasses in the air are already in their lowest chemical energy state, so there is no chemical reaction that could be used to release energy from them.
On the other hand, a sail boat is running on the gasses in the air, kind of.
2006-12-02 14:06:30 · answer #5 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Theoretically, I'm sure... who knows, maybe in the future, we will have cars that will split the water in the air into Hydrogen for combustion, and release oxygen as waste....
2006-12-02 12:59:13 · answer #6 · answered by Noah 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is a theoretical possibility. But we have to finish inventing the technology and working the bugs out of it.
2006-12-02 13:00:43 · answer #7 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
no. you can either burn (or explode) something, or use a really big battery to power a car. air has mainly nitrogen (N2), and oxygen (O2), and neither of those can burn on their own.
2006-12-02 12:58:41 · answer #8 · answered by Nick C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋