Quote:
Originally Posted by WallShadow
This bit of trivia popped back up from high school chemistry while I was contemplating alternative methods of refrigeration. Old (very old) models of refrigerators used sulfur dioxide as a refrigerant. Which is all well and good as long as it stays in its sealed loop and, like Gremlins, _never_ comes in contact with water.
Otherwise--instant sulfuric acid. Not pleasant against the skin, and even less pleasant to breathe when aerosolized.
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I remember my grandmother telling me that since my grandfather services refrigerators from the 1930's until he died in 1966. He got exposed to the sulphur dioxide and it was very unpleasant. He passed away from Hodgkin's disease and my grandmother was convinced that the sulphur gas was part of it. I dunno myself, who knows, but yeah, before freon and what we have now, it was the main method of cooling.