Steve Spangler Science: Instant Freeze Water - Bottle Slam

Sharply knock a bottle of supercooled liquid water on the table and it instantly turns to slushy ice before your eyes.

You put a plastic bottle of soda pop or water in the freezer for a few minutes to get it ice cold. It’s still a liquid when you take it out to enjoy but the second you twist the cap, the liquid instantly turns to slush! The process is amazing to watch but hard to repeat.  This is a great illustration of how supercooled liquids defy freezing even at temperatures well below their freezing points. You’ll need some ice, salt, and several unopened plastic bottles of purified water to attempt this science demo. It’s cool… below-the-freezing-point cool!

But first…
If this happens to work on your very first attempt, go buy a lottery ticket! You have to be patient and understand that all of the measurements of time, ice, water, and rock salt are summaries of what has worked for others. Shoot a video of every attempt you make to document your hits and misses – and plan on several misses, too. When the ice crystals do begin to form in the water as planned, expect to hear lots of spontaneous screams and cheers coming from – you! It really is cool. Just remember: NO glass bottles!


Science Topics
Chemistry
K-6
Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade

What are you looking for?

Organization

Steve Spangler Science

Website URL

Type of Resource

Tutorial
Video (Instructional)

Assigned Categories