# Liquid Air **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2001, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772 "2001-10-11T12:49:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/1 "2001-10-11T12:49:40Z")
The other night I watched a film called ‘The Abyss’. For those who haven’t seen it it’s set deep under the ocean. In one of the scenes a diver puts a suit on and ‘liquid air’ is pumped into the helmet. At first the diver struggles but then can breath. One of the other actors says something like, “You breathed in your mothers womb and it’s no different”. So my question is… Does such a breathing system exist and why would you need it? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/2 "2001-10-11T12:52:13Z")
it’s possible to do things like this using chemicals called oxygenated perfluorcarbons; the downside is that the chemicals tend to be quite harmful. ---
**Author:** ![therealblaze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@therealblaze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/therealblaze)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/3 "2001-10-11T12:57:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Question: Would it be possible for humans to breathe liquid oxygen? > June Hagberg > > Answer: Liquid oxygen is very cold, more than 200 degrees below zero on the > centigrade scale. At this temperature all of the desirable physical > properties of the lung would be nonfunctional. To get an idea of how > the flexibility of the lung would change, place a carnation in some liquid > nitrogen or a super deep freeze. Your question is interesting though > because it would be desirable to breath liquid instead of gas under > certain conditions. Special liquids are being designed to carry dissolved > gaseous oxygen to the lung and to remove carbon dioxide. Even fish are > breathing dissolved oxygen, the water is much too warm for liquid oxygen. > Michael B Lomonaco From [Ask a scientist](http://newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99079.htm). Of course oxygen could be liquefied by pressure and not by temperature… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/4 "2001-10-11T13:09:41Z")
Sounds like they might have worked out some of the bugs with liquid breathing of Perfluorocarbons; [here](http://www.sybd.com/LV.html) is a page where they seem to be offered as a medical product. Try a Google search for “perfluorocarbons breathing liquid” ---
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/5 "2001-10-11T13:44:27Z")
So it’s possible to breath ‘liquid air’ but what use would that be to a deep sea diver? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/6 "2001-10-11T13:51:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AndyJ \* > \*\*So it’s possible to breath ‘liquid air’ but what use would that be to a deep sea diver? \*\* Because by using them, divers can go much deeper. When their lungs are full of air, which is highly compressable, and they go too deep, they are crushed (oversimplification, I know). ---
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/7 "2001-10-11T13:54:00Z")
It’s to do with compression. Being a science simpleton I do at least understand that air can be compressed but liquid can’t. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![WIGGUM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WIGGUM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WIGGUM)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/8 "2001-10-11T13:55:01Z")
Several other threads have discussed this as well and can be found here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=49254](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=49254) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/9 "2001-10-11T14:09:34Z")
I seem to recall that the demonstration with the mouse in **The Abyss** was real. ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/10 "2001-10-11T14:11:50Z")
Another recent thread with lots of links: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=88062](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=88062) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/11 "2001-10-11T14:15:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AndyJ \* > Being a science simpleton I do at least understand that air can be compressed but liquid can’t. You will, I hope, forgive me, **AndyJ** , if that was not sarcasm. I’m a little short-fused right now, though, and **Qadgop** is one of my best friends around here, so I’m going to have to clear my throat on his behalf and point out that if that was sarcasm, you’ve only shown off what a “science simpleton” you are because it is true that liquids _are_ much less compressable than gases. Solids are even less so. Again, if it wasn’t sarcasm, please accept my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-air/86772/12 "2001-10-11T14:19:49Z")
Nope mate I wasn’t taking the Mic. Or if I was. Only out of myself for not thinking hard enough and coming up with the answer.