Category: podcast

“Deep voice gas” Sulphur hexafluoride

Unlike Helium that makes our higher-pitched tones resonate higher than the lower pitched tones. Sulphur hexafluoride does the opposite, no wonder it has the term “deep voice gas”.

Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is an inorganic compound. It is colourless, odourless, non-flammable and non-toxic. 

Equation of SF6

S8 + 24F2 → 8SF6

Uses of SF6

  • As a circuit breaker
  • The Mg industry uses SF6 as an inert “cover gas” to prevent oxidation during casting
  • Electrostatic loudspeakers have used it because of its high dielectric strength and high molecular weight
  • More uses on : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_hexafluoride

https://scienceonblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/main-sf6.jpg

At 20 degrees Celsius, sound travels through air at a speed of 343 meters per second. In my previous blog(https://inlovewithchemistry.science.blog/2022/11/15/heliums-effect-on-our-voice/) on how helium affects our voice I posted that the speed of sound increases with the stiffness of a medium and decreases with its density. Sulphur hexafluoride is almost five times denser than air, causing sound waves to travel slower than they would through air.  At 20 degrees Celsius, sound travels through it at about 134 meters per second. This effect lowers your voice.

Caution:

Both Helium and Sulphur hexafluoride should only be attempted with caution as these gases displace oxygen that the lungs are attempting to extract from the air. Sulphur hexafluoride is also mildly anaesthetic.

Helium’s effect on our voice.

Helium (from Greek:meaning ‘sun’) is an element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colourless gas, exhibiting a grey, cloudy glow (or reddish-orange if an especially high voltage is used) when placed in an electric field.

Uses of Helium

  • as a protective gas in growing silicon and germanium crystals
  • in titanium production
  • in gas chromatography since it is inert
  • since it is lighter than air, airships and balloons are inflated with helium for lift https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium

We all say that inhaling helium changes our voice but do we know how?

Technically, helium doesn’t change the pitch of our voice. Let’s start by how our vocal chords work. When you talk, your vocal cords vibrate at a particular frequency and their movement pushes the air around it in your voice box. That motion of air causes a sound wave that then gets picked up by the ears of the person listening to you.

The speed of sound increases with the stiffness of a medium and decreases with its density. The reason sound travels faster through water than through air is because water is stiffer than air. Helium has a lower density than air which causes sound waves to propagate about 2.7 times faster. Your vocal chords still vibrate at the same frequency even after inhaling helium.

The human voice is made up of a mixture of tones. Inhaling helium makes the higher-pitched tones resonate more in the vocal tract, amplifying them so they are louder in the mix. At the same time, it makes the lower tones resonate less in the vocal tract. Essentially, the higher frequencies become stronger, they’re amplified over the lower frequencies.

There are some effects of inhaling helium. To understand more refer to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium#Inhalation_and_safety

To listen as audio visit: https://anchor.fm/inlovewithchemistry/episodes/Heliums-effect-on-our-voice-e1qpjqr

Careers in Chemistry

This where we begin if you think you have what it takes to undertake a career in chemistry. It is not that hard of a subject as people claim it to be, I believe that it is one of the best subjects. Imagine knowing about life, chemicals and other nonliving things. I assure you that it is something to be loved. Organic compounds, atoms and subatomic particles are what chemistry has blessed us with. Anyway there are many fields you will love if you venture in chemistry. My favourite part of chemistry is organic chemistry; it is one of the building blocks of life. The reactions in it are just amazing and this is an understatement. I personally love creating chemical structures and naming them figuring out their reactions with other compounds. I would love to call it a hobby although it makes me sound nerdy but it is something I enjoy.


Do you love crime solving and detective movies? Well I love them but my favourite part is not the part where they investigate. I love looking at what the forensic scientists do. Personally I think they are the ones who solve the crimes especially on homicides. When I was a kid I really wanted to be a forensic chemist because I saw it online and loved what they do even if they dealt with dead people and I dreaded ghosts. When I was asked I always said I wanted to be a banker or a lawyer because people would think I had a problem if I wanted to deal with dead bodies as a career. At that time I didn’t even know what chemistry was but I still loved this career. So this can be a career choice for anyone if you love chemistry as a subject.


I love creating things but not in an architectural kind of way. I love using chemicals to do different things. If you also love this you can focus on industrial chemistry which I think of it as a great course to do. I have a friend who loves his course so much, one day he decided to kill a rat in his house without spending money. Well he mixed some products that he had at home and poured it in some leftover food as a trap. In the morning on waking up it not only killed the rat but also some cockroaches.


You can also do analytical chemistry. This is my course and I have much to say about it but I think it is the best. Without it we would not have a lot of knowledge in metallurgical, clinical, pharmaceutical or environmental chemistry. Analytical chemists are the ones who come up with methods and procedures for making products. In short they determine what and how much is required. I didn’t know the course existed till I had to choose the university to attend and course I wanted to do. I basically didn’t know what I was looking for but I loved it ever since the first day I attended one of the classes. We can say that I was gambling with my life by making such a choice but it was worth the risk. Business people also make such risks and they may end up failing or becoming successful.


There are many courses to do and I can’t exhaust all of them but others include environmental chemistry, organic chemistry and clinical chemistry.