Science Doesn't Understand How Ice Forms

Summary

In this video, the creator explores the process of freezing water and how impurities and dissolved gases affect ice formation. Initially aiming to create crystal clear ice with a small amount of food coloring, they observe unexpected fractal patterns. Through multiple experiments, they reveal the stages of ice formation, the effects of impurities, and the scientific phenomena behind these processes. The video delves into the complexities of dendrite formation and the limitations of current scientific understanding regarding ice nucleation in everyday conditions.

Takeaways

• 🧊 The video was intended to showcase crystal clear ice but instead became an exploration of the freezing process of water.
• 🔴 The experiment involved using a droplet of water with a trace amount of red food coloring to observe the freezing process.
• 💧 The initial expectation was that the red food coloring would be pushed to the top of the droplet and freeze as a small red micro drop.
• 🌲 The freezing process resulted in a 'fractal forest' of ice crystals forming unexpectedly within the droplet.
• 🔬 Repeating the experiment with pure water confirmed that the fractal formation was not due to the food coloring.
• 📚 The video dives into the scientific understanding of water freezing, highlighting the hexagonal crystal lattice structure of ice.
• 📈 The second stage of freezing was observed as a linear progression from the bottom to the top of the droplet, pushing impurities upwards.
• 🌀 The presence of impurities, such as food coloring or dissolved gases, affects the clarity of ice, with pure ice forming clear and impurities creating cloudiness.
• 💨 The rate of freezing influences the distribution of impurities, with slow freezing pushing them out and fast freezing trapping them as inclusions.
• 🕳️ The formation of bubbles in ice is due to dissolved gases being pushed out by the growing ice lattice.
• 🌐 The fractal-like structures observed, known as dendrites, are a complex phenomenon that occurs during the initial stages of freezing and are not fully understood.
• 🔬 The video concludes by emphasizing the limits of current scientific knowledge regarding the initial stages of ice formation in most natural conditions.

Q & A

What was the initial goal of the video?

The initial goal of the video was to create a macro shot of a droplet of water freezing and showing how it could be made crystal clear, with an experiment involving red food coloring.

What unexpected phenomenon occurred during the freezing of the water droplet?

Instead of the expected clear ice formation at the bottom, ice crystals exploded into the droplet, which was an unexpected phenomenon.

What is the most common molecular structure of ice at atmospheric pressure?

The most common molecular structure of ice at atmospheric pressure is the hexagonal structure, which forms a regular repeating pattern known as a crystal lattice.

What is a fractal forest and how does it relate to the freezing process shown in the video?

A fractal forest refers to the initial stage of ice formation where ice crystals rapidly grow and spread throughout the droplet. It was the first step observed in the water freezing process in the video.

What happens during the second stage of water freezing?

During the second stage of water freezing, the ice forms linearly and smoothly from the bottom to the top of the droplet, which is in contact with a cold surface.

How does the presence of red food coloring in water affect the freezing process?

The presence of red food coloring in water causes the color to be pushed upwards as the ice freezes from the bottom, leaving a clear demarcation between the clear ice and the colored water.

Why do bubbles appear in the frozen droplets?

Bubbles appear in the frozen droplets because dissolved gas molecules, such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen, do not fit well into the ice lattice and are pushed out, eventually forming bubbles.

What is the difference between slow and fast freezing in terms of ice clarity?

Slow freezing allows for the formation of pure ice and pushes impurities away, resulting in clearer ice. Fast freezing, on the other hand, can trap impurities within the ice lattice, leading to cloudy ice due to light dispersion by the inclusions.

What are dendrites and how are they related to the initial ice formation?

Dendrites are tree-like ice formations that occur during the initial stages of ice formation. They are similar in pattern but never exactly the same, even when the same droplet is frozen and thawed multiple times.

What is the current understanding of the molecular level events during the initial formation of a dendrite?

The molecular level events during the initial formation of a dendrite are not well understood, especially when water is touching something or contains impurities. However, in extremely pure water and very cold conditions, the initial ice formation can be predicted and modeled.

What challenges did the creator face while trying to capture the fractal forest in the macro footage?

The creator faced several challenges, including accidentally bumping the table, issues with the laser thermometer, and difficulties in focusing due to the extremely shallow depth of field of the lens being used.