“Cooling mixture” experiment
How to freeze a drink in a few minutes
How can we cool a beverage 5 times faster than in the freezer? For this simple lifehack all you’ll need is ice and salt.
Safety precautions
To avoid a thermal burn, wear protective gloves and long sleeved clothing when working with cooling mixtures.
Reagents and equipment:
- ice 750 ml;
- kitchen salt (sodium chloride) 250 g;
- 2 glass bowls;
- beverage.
Step-by-step instructions
In a large beaker mix ice and salt in a ratio of 3:1. The cooling mixture is ready. Now place the beverage in the cooling mixture. The beverage was at room temperature, but now it has cooled down to -2 °C! Now’s it ready to drink!
Processes description
Cooling mixtures consist of two or more solid (or solid and liquid) substances. When they mix, they “take away” warmth and reduce the temperature from the outside. The processes in which warmth is absorbed from the surrounding environment are called endothermic. The cooling mixture of ice and kitchen salt in the ratio of 3:1 can give a temperature of -21 °C.
When we need a higher temperature, we can change the ratio of salt and ice or surround the vessel containing the solution with ice or snow, which we simple sprinkle with salt. A mixture of ice and calcium chloride can reduce the temperature to -55 °C. Solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) in a mixture with diethyl ethеr or acetone has a temperature of -78 °C. On the basis of these salts and liquids, cooling mixtures are made, and they are used to prevent ice build ups.
