Timeline for Could an organism as complex as a human breathe sulphur dioxide?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2017 at 7:00 | vote | accept | Axolotl | ||
| Oct 14, 2017 at 21:12 | comment | added | Logan R. Kearsley | @Samwise I don't think that would be a major concern. Sulfur doesn't react with water very easily, and at high temperatures you end up with an equilibrium between hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide; sulfur dioxide in solution gives you a weak sulfurous acid (H2SO3), but the scenario posits large amounts of sulfur dioxide, and thus sulfurous acid, present already. Native organisms would presumably be adapted to that, and could probably buffer the pH if necessary. You don't get sulfuric acid unless there is also excess oxygen around to form sulfur trioxide. | |
| Oct 14, 2017 at 20:29 | comment | added | Samwise | neat, although you might have an issue with the sulfur forming sulfuric acid with the water as that stuff tends to rip apart most organic carbon compounds on contact (but I suppose such a creature would have pretty non-standard chemistry to begin with) | |
| Oct 14, 2017 at 19:48 | vote | accept | Axolotl | ||
| Oct 14, 2017 at 21:23 | |||||
| Oct 14, 2017 at 19:42 | history | answered | Logan R. Kearsley | CC BY-SA 3.0 |