CATCHING DUI'S WITH BAC'S...The wonders of a Breathalyzer
Blowing in a breathalyzer is seen on almost every late night cop drama. We all know what it does. It catches drivers driving under the influence (DUI) by recording their Blood-Alcohol Content (BAC). But do you REALLY know how this famed piece of handheld machinery works? Unless you are a scientist working at BACtrack, the world's leading breathalyzer manufacturing company, then the answer is probably no. But Never fear because by the end of this article you will be more than qualified to design and manufacture your own Breathalyzer! {JK, you won't know how to build one, but you will know more than the average cop show junkie.(: }A breathalyzer is a device that can estimate your blood-alcohol level. If your blood-alcohol level is higher than the legal limit, you will be arrested for drunk driving.In 1954, Dr. Robert Borkenstein of the Indiana State Police invented the modern-day breathlyzer, as a way to test a suspects BAC without using urine.While many people simply know of the breathalyzer, there actually are three types of breath alcohol testing devices, that are in use by the police today.
Going deeper into just the breathlyzershows us that The Breathalyzer device contains:
During this reaction, the reddish-orange dichromate ion changes color to the green chromium ion when it reacts with the alcohol; the degree of the color change is directly related to the level of alcohol in the expelled air. To determine the amount of alcohol in that breath, the reacted mixture is compared to the vial of unreacted mixture using the photocell system, which produces an electric current that causes the needle in the meter to move from its resting place. The operator then rotates a knob to bring the needle back to the resting place and reads the level of alcohol from the knob -- the more the operator must turn the knob to return it to rest, the greater the level of alcohol.
So there you have it. Everything you need to know about breathlyzers. But just because you know ho the system works, DOES NOT give you a reason to drive drunk. Simply use this information to wow your friends. :)
- Breathalyzer-using a chemical reaction and color change
- Intoxilyzer - usesinfrared (IR) spectroscopy
- Alcosensor III or IV -uses a fuel cell
Going deeper into just the breathlyzershows us that The Breathalyzer device contains:
- A mouthpiece for the suspect to breathe in
- Two glass vials containing the chemical reaction mixture
- A system of photocells connected to a meter to measure the color change associated with the chemical reaction
- The sulfuric acid removes the alcohol from the breath. The oxygen is then released from the system.
- The alcohol reacts with potassium dichromate. a reddish-orange substance, to produce: chromium sulfate, a green substance, potassium sulfate, acetic acid, and water
During this reaction, the reddish-orange dichromate ion changes color to the green chromium ion when it reacts with the alcohol; the degree of the color change is directly related to the level of alcohol in the expelled air. To determine the amount of alcohol in that breath, the reacted mixture is compared to the vial of unreacted mixture using the photocell system, which produces an electric current that causes the needle in the meter to move from its resting place. The operator then rotates a knob to bring the needle back to the resting place and reads the level of alcohol from the knob -- the more the operator must turn the knob to return it to rest, the greater the level of alcohol.
So there you have it. Everything you need to know about breathlyzers. But just because you know ho the system works, DOES NOT give you a reason to drive drunk. Simply use this information to wow your friends. :)
