- #1
PuzzledMonkey
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- TL;DR Summary
- Why does a gas duster "fizz" when put down but stop when held?
While using an ordinary gas duster (difluoroethane) to clean some electronics, I noticed something weird (see linked videos):
What is going on here?
Gas duster video 1
Gas duster video 2
- After spraying the gas duster and placing it on a hard surface e.g. countertop, the can emits a fizzing noise.
- Picking up the can causes the fizzing to stop.
- The process is repeatable i.e. putting the can down starts the fizzing again. This occurs even if the can is placed down very gently.
- The duster can feels cold to touch, but not painfully so. I'd estimate the can surface temperature as between 0 and 10 C.
- Difluoroethane has a normal boiling point of -25 C, but the can is pressurized so it could be liquid inside.
- The fizzing sounds similar to a soft drink, suggesting that the contents could be liquid with some gas bubbles inside.
What is going on here?
Gas duster video 1
Gas duster video 2