How to freeze water in about half a second
This is an example of supercooling – the process by which a very pure liquid is chilled to a temperature just below its usual freezing point without actually making the jump to its solid state. Bottled water is perfect for this, especially the kind that’s been purified via reverse osmosis, a process that strips water of all its particulates. This particulates can act as “seed crystals,” or “nuclei,” to which a liquid phase on the cusp of becoming solid can attach, and crystalize around. In this video, a seed crystal is introduced in the form of a cube of already-frozen water. As soon as it’s introduced, the liquid phase rapidly crystallizes and attaches to the solid one, kicking off a chain reaction of ice-formation.
I think you’ll have to agree that this is pretty frikkin’ awesome.
I have managed to supercool water by accident before by leaving in the freezer to cool down for too long. Only when the bottle was opened did the water inside freeze, and it took only a mater of seconds. I must try to do it intentionally some time!
Do you have to turn down your freezer or will the standard temp setting work?
Also, are you guys on Twitter?
For a similar visual effect, implemented differently, I have heard (but have not tried myself) that a single normal-looking ice cube, cooled to liquid Nitrogen temperature, in a coffee cup, is sufficient to surprise one by freezing solid a small cup of water poured onto it.
Oh, never mind. I should have done the math first. Taking ice from 77 to 273 is still only 70% the energy of melting normal ice. http://science.wonderhowto.com/how-to/compare-regular-ice-with-liquid-nitrogen-cooled-ice-285245/