Fun with Dry Ice

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Fun with Dry Ice!!!

• Demonstration by
• Jon Wilson
• The University of Mississippi

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History of Carbon Dioxide

• Who do we owe credit for Dry Ice?
• A Chemist from Belgium named Jan Baptist van
  Helmont (1580-1644) discovered Carbon Dioxide in
  the early 1600s.
• He was also the first person to use the word
  gases when dealing with Carbon Dioxide and
  other common gases (example Oxygen)

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Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580-1644)
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History of Carbon Dioxide

• Carbon Dioxide in the past
• It is thought that Carbon Dioxide dominated the
  Earths atmosphere 4.5 billion (4,500,000,000)
  years ago.
• Living on Earth during that time would have been
  impossible because there was not enough Oxygen
  for us to breathe. The atmosphere was similar to
  the current atmosphere on Mars.

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Earths Atmosphere 4.5 billion years ago?
Mars
Venus
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Properties of Dry Ice

• Temperature
• -109 degrees Fahrenheit (-80 degrees Celsius)
• That is 150 degrees colder than it is outside
  right now (it is around 41 degrees F in Oxford)
• Density
• Heavier density than the air around us.
• Special Property
• Goes directly from a solid to a gas (called
  sublimation) under normal temperatures. It does
  not leave a puddle of ice like regular ice.

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Common Uses of Dry Ice (Solid - CO2)

• By plants for photosynthesis (most important)
• Freezing different things for transport
• Keeping different things frozen during transport
• Adding carbonation to our soda
• Fire extinguishers

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Carbon Dioxide vs. Water

• CO2
• It has a greater density than Water.
• It goes directly from a solid to a gas under
  normal temperatures.
• Vital for photosynthesis in plants.

• H20
• It has a density less than Carbon Dioxide.
• It goes from a solid to a liquid to a gas under
  normal temperatures.
• Everyone needs water to survive.

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Playing It Safe with Dry Ice
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What Do You Think?

• Why does the Ice Cream man use Dry Ice instead of
  regular Ice?

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What happened and Why

• The ice cream man uses dry ice because when it
  melts there is not a puddle of water. Dry ice
  turns directly into a gas. This does not make a
  mess or make your ice cream soggy on summer days.

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What Do You Think?

• What will happen when an air filled balloon is
  placed into the aquarium with dry ice?
• Will the balloon be crushed?
• Will the balloon sink to the bottom?
• Will the balloon float out of the aquarium
  magically?

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What happened and Why

• Carbon Dioxide gas has a higher density than air.
  The carbon dioxide gas fills the aquarium from
  the bottom to the top as it turns from a solid
  into a gas. The air filled balloon floats on the
  Carbon Dioxide gas because it is less dense.
  Depending on the amount of Carbon Dioxide in the
  aquarium, the balloon will either float inside or
  be pushed out over the top.

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What Do You Think?

• What will happen when regular air filled soap
  bubbles are blown into the aquarium with the dry
  ice?
• Will the bubbles freeze?
• Will the bubbles change colors?
• Will the bubbles float like the balloon in the
  earlier experiment?

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What happened and Why

• Since the air filled soap bubbles have a density
  less than the carbon dioxide gas, they float on
  the Carbon Dioxide gas as well. Like the balloon
  in the first experiment, some of these bubbles
  might also be pushed over the top out of the
  aquarium.

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What Do You Think?

• What will happen when dry ice and water are
  placed into one of the small film cans?
• Will the can crack open violently?
• Will the can just sit there and look boring?
• Will the can deform?

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What happened and Why

• When water is added to dry ice, it sublimates or
  changes from a solid to a gas much more quickly.
  If you seal them up inside the container, the
  pressure of the carbon dioxide gas builds up and
  pops the top off the can. It is important not to
  seal dry ice in an air tight container!!!

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What Do You Think?

• What will happen when 4 candles at different
  heights are lit in the aquarium with the dry ice?
• Will they all be put out by the dry ice?
• Will they keep burning until there is no more
  candle left?
• Will they make sparks and really big flames?

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What happened and Why

• Fire needs oxygen to burn much like humans need
  oxygen to breathe. Carbon dioxide smothers the
  oxygen, extinguishing the candles flame.
• Carbon dioxide is used in fire extinguishers.

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Deadly Carbon Dioxide
Lake Nyos, Cameroon
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What happened and Why

• This volcano in Cameroon, a country in Africa,
  has a lake sitting inside of it. Some slight
  activity occurred in 1984 and 1986 releasing a
  Carbon dioxide gas bubble from within the lake.
  Since the gas is heavier than air, it rolled down
  the sides of the volcano like fog into the
  surrounding village. Lots of people and animals
  died from suffocation.

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Conclusions About Dry Ice

• Dry Ice is fun
• Dry Ice is used any many ways to keep things
  frozen and cold for transport
• Dry Ice is a substance that goes directly from a
  solid to a gas under normal temperatures and
  pressure
• Carbon Dioxide is important to our lives

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Materials

• Materials
• aquarium (10 gallon)
• 50 lb block of dry ice
• thick rubber gloves
• tongs
• candles
• lighter
• latex gloves
• metal spoon

• soap bubbles
• plastic volcano
• lighter with long flame
• styrophone cups
• water and container
• cooler for dry ice
• Powerpoint slides
• Dry Ice write-ups

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References

• Web References
• http//www.dryiceinfo.com/
• http//www.gomilpitas.com/homeschooling/explore
  chemistry.htm
• http//oror.essortment.com/dryiceprojects_opl.htm
• http//ousd.k12.ca.us/codypren/4f.html
• http//www.howstuffworks.com/question264.htm
• http//www.rockitscience.com/dryice.html
• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/8785/exp1
  .html
• http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/8785/exp2
  .html

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Literature

• Literature
• Good Web Resources
• DryIceInfo.com
• Howstuffworks.com
• Good Fun Demo Book
  Title Dry Ice Investigations
  ISBN 0924886153
  Price 15.64 _at_ booksamillion
  For Grades 6-8

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Getting Dry Ice

• Local Contact Information
• Nex-Air of Batesville, MS
• Phone [phone]
• Oxford Delivery Driver Mr. Tony Arnold
• Call on Wednesday to reserve a block (usually
  only one block can be reserved from the shipment)
• Delivery comes every Thursday and blocks can be
  picked up late Thursday or early Friday
• Price per block 16.00
• Always very helpful people for teachers!

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Images

• Images to be added later!