Unveiling the Mystery Behind White Ice

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Golshan
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    Ice Mystery
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of white ice, specifically why the center of ice appears white while the outer layers may be clearer. Participants explore the underlying causes, including the role of water molecules, air bubbles, and impurities in the freezing process.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the white color of ice may be due to water molecules not having enough space to form symmetrical crystals, leading to disarrangement.
  • Another participant proposes that the opacity of ice can result from dissolved air and impurities, which become entrained during freezing.
  • A different viewpoint indicates that air bubbles are responsible for the milky white appearance, as dissolved air comes out of solution upon freezing.
  • One participant questions why only the center of the ice is white, prompting further exploration of the freezing process.
  • Another participant theorizes that as water freezes at the edges, dissolved air moves towards the liquid phase, becoming trapped in the center once surrounded by ice.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various hypotheses regarding the causes of white ice, with no consensus reached on a singular explanation. Multiple competing views remain regarding the roles of air, impurities, and molecular structure.

Contextual Notes

Some claims depend on the definitions of transparency and clarity in ice, and the discussion does not resolve the specific mechanisms behind the observed phenomena.

Golshan
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Hi,
This is my question:
why is in the middle of ice, white ?
(have you noticed ?)
I guess the reason must be that water molecules don't have enough space to expand naturally and form symmerical crystals; and the white colour is because of this disarrangment in water crystals. Is my guess true ? So, how can we make a piece of ice that is fully transparent ?
 
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If the ice is opaque, that can be the result of air dissolved and/or impurities in the water which are then entrained in the ice. Boiling water to remove air and then cooling/freezing the water, especially under compression will help to make clear/transparent ice. In some ice sculptures, one can see transparent ice.
 
The ice is milky white due to air bubbles- dissolved air comes out of solution upon freezing.

To make clear ice, de-gas the water first.
 
to Andy Resnik:
so why just the center of ice is white ?
 
I would think that as the water freezes in the periphery of the container, the dissolved air moves toward the liquid phase (segregation). Once surrounded on all sides by ice, the air is trapped.
 

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