Freezing different liquids
Chemistry · Early Years · The School
Water freezes
You already know water freezes into ice. It happens in a freezer, overnight. It happens every single time. It happens outside too, on a very cold winter day. Puddles freeze. Ponds freeze. Plain water is the easiest liquid of all to freeze solid.
Testing other liquids
What about salty water? What about juice? What about cooking oil? All three are liquids too, just like water. Guess out loud what will happen to each one. Guess before you test them. Then put a little of each into the freezer overnight. Use three separate cups.
Different results
The next day, check all three cups. Check them carefully. Plain water is now solid, hard ice. Salty water is still slushy. It is only half frozen at best. Juice has frozen too. It might feel a little softer than the ice did. Cooking oil barely looks any different at all. Not even after a whole night in the cold.
Three identical cups go into the freezer overnight. Cup one: plain water. Cup two: salty water. Cup three: juice. The next morning, check them. CUP ONE is solid, hard ice. CUP TWO is still slushy — the salt made it harder to freeze. CUP THREE is frozen too, but softer than the plain ice. Same freezer. Same night. Three different results, because the liquids themselves are different.