Preserving/Airtightening Foods with Argon? [Physics]

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From: 2.7182818284590... on 26 Feb 2010 01:46

Preserving/Airtightening Foods with Argon?

Argon is denser than air, and it sinks.

Suppose that argon, which is an extremely inert noble gas, is used to
displace air (which is ~80% nitrogen, ~19% oxygen, and ~1% CO2 and
other gases) in:
1. already opened wine bottles
2. any food corruptible by microbes which thrive in oxygen and/or
CO2, etc.
3. milk?

Could this method be used to preserve foods and/or drinks?

I have this idea of a method which displaces the air in a wine bottle
with argon gas. The argon gas does *NOT* escape the wine bottle, but
it has displaced the air. Then a cork is placed on the half-full
bottle of wine (the other half of the wine bottle is argon gas).

Couldn't this method be used to preserve wines? What is the big flaw
in this idea?

From: Helmut Wabnig hwabnig on 26 Feb 2010 02:06

On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:46:25 -0800 (PST), "2.7182818284590..."
<tangent1.57(a)gmail.com> wrote:

>Preserving/Airtightening Foods with Argon?
>
>
>
>Argon is denser than air, and it sinks.
>
>Suppose that argon, which is an extremely inert noble gas, is used to
>displace air (which is ~80% nitrogen, ~19% oxygen, and ~1% CO2 and
>other gases) in:
>1. already opened wine bottles
>2. any food corruptible by microbes which thrive in oxygen and/or
>CO2, etc.
>3. milk?
>
>
>Could this method be used to preserve foods and/or drinks?
>
>I have this idea of a method which displaces the air in a wine bottle
>with argon gas. The argon gas does *NOT* escape the wine bottle, but
>it has displaced the air. Then a cork is placed on the half-full
>bottle of wine (the other half of the wine bottle is argon gas).
>
>Couldn't this method be used to preserve wines? What is the big flaw
>in this idea?

Preserve a half-full bottle of wine?
That is the big flaw.
Drink it.
w.

From: Androcles on 26 Feb 2010 02:21

"2.7182818284590..." <tangent1.57(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:869fcbf2-ef66-4d0d-bdb6-ba37758b8527(a)v20g2000yqv.googlegroups.com...
> Preserving/Airtightening Foods with Argon?
>
>
>
> Argon is denser than air, and it sinks.
>
> Suppose that argon, which is an extremely inert noble gas, is used to
> displace air (which is ~80% nitrogen, ~19% oxygen, and ~1% CO2 and
> other gases) in:
> 1. already opened wine bottles
> 2. any food corruptible by microbes which thrive in oxygen and/or
> CO2, etc.
> 3. milk?
>
>
> Could this method be used to preserve foods and/or drinks?
>
> I have this idea of a method which displaces the air in a wine bottle
> with argon gas. The argon gas does *NOT* escape the wine bottle, but
> it has displaced the air. Then a cork is placed on the half-full
> bottle of wine (the other half of the wine bottle is argon gas).
>
> Couldn't this method be used to preserve wines? What is the big flaw
> in this idea?

Ever heard of Kilner jars?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilner_jar

Nobody uses them anymore.
Why would I want to preserve a half-full bottle of wine that
I'll drink within a week (or discard) after I've opened it?
As for milk, I drink 2 pints a week in coffee, and I keep it
in the fridge. So I buy 2 pints a week.
Even if your idea works, it's simply not practical for me to buy a
cylinder of argon which I'll never use except for welding, just as
I don't own any Kilner jars - they are not practical.

From: Cwatters on 26 Feb 2010 04:04

From: Martin Brown on 26 Feb 2010 04:45

Helmut Wabnig wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:46:25 -0800 (PST), "2.7182818284590..."
> <tangent1.57(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Preserving/Airtightening Foods with Argon?
>>
>>
>>
>> Argon is denser than air, and it sinks.
>>
>> Suppose that argon, which is an extremely inert noble gas, is used to
>> displace air (which is ~80% nitrogen, ~19% oxygen, and ~1% CO2 and
>> other gases) in:
>> 1. already opened wine bottles
>> 2. any food corruptible by microbes which thrive in oxygen and/or
>> CO2, etc.
>> 3. milk?
>>
>> Could this method be used to preserve foods and/or drinks?
>>
>> I have this idea of a method which displaces the air in a wine bottle
>> with argon gas. The argon gas does *NOT* escape the wine bottle, but
>> it has displaced the air. Then a cork is placed on the half-full
>> bottle of wine (the other half of the wine bottle is argon gas).
>>
>> Couldn't this method be used to preserve wines? What is the big flaw
>> in this idea?

The cost of the argon. Nitrogen is a lot cheaper and for foodstuffs
plenty good enough as an inert atmosphere.

Incidentally ArO+ is actually a nuisance species in ICPMS which sits on
top of the peak for Fe56

Regards,
Martin Brown
>
>
> Preserve a half-full bottle of wine?
> That is the big flaw.
> Drink it.
> w.

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