Tag: helium

“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