aerosol container

aerosol container

      any package, usually a metal can or plastic bottle, designed to dispense its liquid contents as a mist or foam. This type of container was developed in 1941 by the American chemist Lyle D. Goodhue and others for dispensing insecticides. Since that time a wide variety of products ranging from disinfectants to whipping cream have been packaged in aerosol containers.

      The most common type of aerosol container consists of a shell, a valve, a “dip tube” that extends from the valve to the liquid product, and a liquefied-gas propellant under pressure. The liquid product is generally mixed with the propellant. When the valve is opened, this solution moves up the dip tube and out the valve. The propellant vaporizes as it is released into the atmosphere, dispersing the product in the form of fine particles. In foam packs, such as shaving cream, the propellant and product are present together as an emulsion. On release, the liquid vaporizes, whipping the whole into a foam.

      Chlorofluorocarbons (chlorofluorocarbon), often called Freons, were used extensively as propellants in aerosol-spray products manufactured in the United States until 1978, when the federal government banned most uses of those compounds because of their potentially harmful environmental effect. Scientific studies indicated that chlorofluorocarbons released into the air rise up to the stratosphere, where they catalyze the decomposition of ozone molecules. The stratospheric ozone helps shield animal life from the Sun's intense ultraviolet radiation, and it was feared that a significant reduction of atmospheric ozone by chlorofluorocarbons could lead to higher rates of radiation-induced skin cancer in humans.

      In compliance with the federal ban, American and European manufacturers have substituted hydrocarbons (hydrocarbon) and carbon dioxide for chlorofluorocarbons in most aerosol products. They also have developed aerosol containers that use air pressure produced by hand-operated pumps instead of a propellant.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • aerosol container — noun a dispenser that holds a substance under pressure and that can release it as a fine spray (usually by means of a propellant gas) • Syn: ↑aerosol, ↑aerosol can, ↑aerosol bomb, ↑spray can • Hypernyms: ↑dispenser • Hyponyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • aerosol container — /ɛərəsɒl kənˈteɪnə/ (say airruhsol kuhn taynuh) noun a metal container for storing a substance under pressure and subsequently dispensing it as a spray. Also, aerosol …  

  • aerosol bomb — noun 1. a bomb that uses a fuel air explosive a thermobaric bomb can create overpressures equal to an atomic bomb • Syn: ↑thermobaric bomb, ↑fuel air bomb, ↑vacuum bomb, ↑volume detonation bomb • Hypernyms: ↑bomb, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • aerosol can — noun a dispenser that holds a substance under pressure and that can release it as a fine spray (usually by means of a propellant gas) • Syn: ↑aerosol, ↑aerosol container, ↑aerosol bomb, ↑spray can • Hypernyms: ↑dispenser • Hyponyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • aerosol — /ˈɛərəsɒl / (say airruhsol) noun 1. Physical Chemistry a system consisting of colloidal particles dispersed in a gas; a smoke or fog. 2. → aerosol container. {aero + sol2} …  

  • aerosol bomb — /ˈɛərəsɒl bɒm/ (say airruhsol bom) noun an aerosol container for spraying insecticides on a large scale, especially agriculturally …  

  • Aerosol spray — is a type of dispensing system which creates an aerosol mist of liquid particles. This is used with a can or bottle that contains a liquid under pressure. When the container s valve is opened, the liquid is forced out of a small hole and emerges… …   Wikipedia

  • Aerosol paint — (spray paint) – Paint in a sealed pressurized container that is released in a fine spray mist when depressing a valve button located on the top of the can. When applied correctly, aerosol paint leaves a smooth, evenly coated surface, unlike many… …   Wikipedia

  • aerosol — [er′ə säl΄, er′əsôl΄] n. [ AERO + SOL3] a suspension of colloidal particles in a gas adj. 1. designating or of a small container in which gas under pressure is used to aerate and dispense a liquid spray through a valve 2. dispensed by such a… …   English World dictionary

  • Aerosol — A fine mist or spray which contains minute particles. An aerosol can administered by a nebulizer and inhaled as form of treatment. An aerosol can conversely cause disease. For example, a common way for a person to contract the hantavirus… …   Medical dictionary

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