TOY: RE: CO2 in tires

[Power Tank <steves@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thom wrote:
> In theory CO2 should slightly attack the rubber of the tires. This is the
> reason that the CO2 powered air rifle or pistol you had as a kid eventually
> started
> leaking. CO2 eats the rubber O-rings in them.

Brien.Blankenship@radisys.com wrote:
> CO2 is an inert gas meaning it is very stable and will not combine readily
> with other elements to create oxidation ( corrosion ). Why would it attack
> rubber in tires?

Thom wrote:
>I'm not sure of the mechanism involved. It might have been due to the drop in
>pressure and attendant freezing of the O-rings. If that is the case it would
>then
>be a mechanical attack and not a chemical attack. Perhaps I should have stated
>it a little differently.

Brien is correct.  CO2 is an inert gas and does not eat rubber whether
O-rings or tires nor is it corrosive to anything else.