Just thought of another thing. I tried burning my torch inside an upright 5-gallon bucket yesterday afternoon, and it didn't go out. So the idea that nitrogen and/or CO2 will keep the oxygen out isn't very workable for open containers, it seems. Just checked the periodic table, and N comes before O anyway; so it stands to reason that O2 would be heavier than N2. And since all 3 are so perfectly miscible, I can't see a way to keep them apart without using sealed containers and a purging system, which doesn't fit in with my plan (keeping bulk foods like nuts and whole wheat flour fresh). Back to square 1.
last updated 2013-01-10 21:18:54. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com