Supercooling of water-what's going on?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the phenomenon of supercooling water, where distilled or purified water can remain in a liquid state even at temperatures as low as -40°C. The process of flash freezing occurs when the supercooled water is disturbed, initiating crystallization from impurities or surface irregularities. It is established that the presence of impurities, such as dust or cracks in the container, significantly reduces the energy required to form ice, facilitating the freezing process.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of thermodynamics, specifically the concepts of supercooling and phase transitions.
  • Knowledge of crystallization processes and the role of impurities in nucleation.
  • Familiarity with temperature scales, particularly Celsius and the behavior of water at low temperatures.
  • Basic principles of energy transfer during phase changes in substances.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of supercooling and its applications in various scientific fields.
  • Explore the effects of different impurities on the crystallization process of water.
  • Learn about the thermodynamic properties of water and its unique behavior under extreme conditions.
  • Investigate practical experiments demonstrating supercooling and flash freezing techniques.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physicists, chemists, and educators interested in the properties of water, as well as anyone conducting experiments related to supercooling and crystallization phenomena.

BuddyPal
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Perhaps you have seen the videos of either beer or distilled/purified water flash freezing. What usually happens is someone has a bottle of water and he hits it on something, then the water in the bottle begins to freeze from top to bottom. Or sometimes someone has the bottle of supercooled water and they pour it over ice in a bowl and the water instantly turns into slushy.

I want to know how the water can supercool, and what effect impurities have on the crystallization of water.
 
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BuddyPal said:
I want to know how the water can supercool, and what effect impurities have on the crystallization of water.
By the nature of this last statement, you seem to already know. Is there something specific you'd like clarified?
 
It takes a small amount of energy to make the surface area of the first bit of ice. Even though you are going to release a lot more energy freezing the water you need to get over this initial hump. If there is already a small cavity like a spec of dust or a crack in the container to start from the amount of surface needed and so the energy is reduced.

You can cool water to about -40degC before the cooling becomes powerful enough to form ice anyway even if there are no impurities to start the process.
 
Thanks, that clarifies a lot =)
 

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