dry ice in water

Dry Ice In Water

Observing The Reaction Of Dry Ice In Water

I always wanted to try this (put dry ice in water) and last year I got the opportunity. When I bought some meat from Donald Russell it was delivered packed in dry ice. Dry Ice is frozen CO2 i.e. solid carbon dioxide.

This dry ice was used to keep the meat cool in transit. The meat and dry ice are transported in a polystyrene box which provides lots of insulation. However, over time, the heat does percolate a package like this and the dry ice sublimates at -78.5 °C (-109.3°F). (That means it turns to vapour with no intermediate liquid state.)

Usually there is some solid CO2 left in the package on arrival. If There wasn’t any left the meat temperature may rise too high and the meat would be spoilt. So this is my source of dry ice.

The first thing I wanted to do, as soon as the meat was stored in a cool place, was put the dry ice in water and watch it bubble away and the vapour flow out and down the side of the container. I caught it on video below:

As far as I am aware the visible vapour is the water vapour in the air being cooled by the very cold CO2 gas coming out of the water in the glass until it condenses. The water vapour is much colder than the air in the room so it immediately falls down to the table and off the edge towards the floor.


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