SCIENCE - SCHOOL PROJECTS
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Dry Ice is frozen carbon dioxide, a normal part of our earth's atmosphere.
It is the gas that we exhale during breathing and the gas that
plants use in photosynthesis. It is also the same gas added to
water to make soda water. Dry Ice is particularly useful for freezing,
and keeping things frozen because of its very cold temperature:
-109.3°F or -78.5°C. Dry Ice is widely used because it
is simple to freeze and easy to handle using
insulated gloves. Dry Ice changes directly from a solid to a gas
-sublimating - in normal atmospheric conditions without going through
a wet liquid stage. For more information on carbon dioxide see:
http://www.co2info.com/
HOW DRY ICE IS MADE
The
first step in making dry ice is to compress carbon dioxide gas until
it liquefies, at the same time removing the excess heat. The C02
gas will liquefy at a pressure of approximately 870 pounds per square
inch at room temperature. Next, the pressure is reduced over the
liquid carbon dioxide by sending it through an expansion valve into an empty chamber. The liquid will flash, with some turning into gas causing the
remainder to cool. As the
temperature drops to -109.3°F, the temperature of frozen CO2,
some of it will freeze into snow. This dry ice snow is then
compressed together under a large press to form blocks or extruded into various sized pellets. Dry Ice is
much heavier than traditional ice, weighing about double.
DRY ICE MAKERS
Dry Ice machines are available in all sizes and use liquid CO2. Hand held ones make soft Dry Ice that dissipates
quicker. Large
commercial machines use hydraulic presses to compress the Dry Ice snow
with up to 60 Tons of pressure. It can produce a 55 pound block in under 60
seconds.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
|
Critical Density
|
28.9855 LB/FT³
|
Critical Pressure |
1066.3 PSIA |
Critical Temperature |
87.8°F |
Density Gas |
0.1234 LB/FT³@32°F |
Density Liquid |
63.69 LB/FT³@0°F |
Latent Heat of Vaporization |
241 BTU/LB 0°F |
Molecular Weight |
44.004 |
Sublimation Temperature |
-109.3°F or -78.5°C |
Solubility in H20 |
79FT³ CO2 GAS/FT³
( when H2O is at 32°F ) |
Triple Point |
-69°F 75.1 PSIA |
Viscosity Gas |
0.015 Centipoises @32°F |
Viscosity Liquid |
0.14 Centipoises @0°F |
Chemical Formula |
CO2 |
Chemical Family |
Inorganic |
Sublimation |
A pound of Dry Ice will sublimate
into 8.3 cubic feet of carbon dioxide gas. |
DOT Shipping Class: |
ORM-A UN-1845 Pkg. Group III Class Nonflammable Gas UN2187 |
SCHOOL PROJECTS
VOLCANO Dry Ice can
add the right touch to the typical school volcano. The "smoke" will come out the
top and flow down the sides for several minutes. Inside the volcano must be a
container to hold hot water. If hot water is not immediately available use a
thermos to store it. The hotter the water is (nearly boiling if under adult
supervision) the better. The bottom must be sealed tightly. Otherwise Dry Ice
fog will leak out the bottom. Use putty or some other sealant. At the time of
eruption, use gloves and put small pieces of Dry Ice into the hot water. The
volcano will bubble and "smoke" for several minutes. Is it doubtful
that
cleaning services new york will be
required but volcano projects can get pretty messy so plan for some
clean up time.
CLOUD
CHAMBER An easy to make cloud chamber
can be used to observe Alpha or Beta particles. Use a clear Pyrex or Corning
shallow glass container that will not break in a freezer. Cover the bottom
inside of the dish with black felt or black paper. Cut a piece of cardboard
larger than the top of the dish. Pour alcohol on one side of the cardboard.
Place the cardboard on the dish with the wet side down. Heat the top cardboard
with your hand or something else warm such as an iron. Place the dish on a slab of Dry Ice. The
alcohol will form a cloud. Shine a light through the side of the dish to observe
vapor trails. Some natural vapor trails can be seen in time although you may
have to put alcohol on the cardboard several times. Place an alpha ray source
such as an old fashion illuminated watch dial or a Coleman lantern mantel inside
to see more ion trails in the cloud chamber. Use a light source such as a bright
flashlight to see the cloud tracks better.
BAKING SODA Sodium
hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3), also called Sodium
bicarbonate, bicarbonate of soda, and baking soda, is an important chemical.
Hundred of thousands of tons are produced each year for use in baking and in
producing other chemicals. One way to make this compound at home or in the
school chemistry laboratory is to use Dry Ice, salt, ammonium carbonate, and
vinegar.
COMET
You
can make a miniature comet and watch as it sublimates--just like a real
comet being heated by the Sun! Make sure you have adult supervision. The
materials you will need are Dry Ice (solid carbon dioxide), a large bowl,
a garbage bag, several smaller plastic bags,
gloves, a hammer, water, sand, and a few
drops of ammonia. Buy about 3 pounds of Dry Ice. Be very careful in handling
Dry Ice, and always wear gloves. Solid carbon dioxide is much colder than
ice, and if it touches your skin it will hurt as if you had been burned
by fire. Use a plastic garbage bag to line a bowl big enough to hold a quart
of water. Put two cups of water into the lined bowl. Add a couple spoonfuls
of sand. Sprinkle in a few drops of ammonia and stir the mixture well. Wearing
gloves, wrap the dry ice in several plastic bags. Use a hammer to pound
the dry ice into small pieces. When the dry ice is crushed add about two
cups of it while stirring your comet "soup". Keep stirring while
the dry ice freezes the water. When the mixture is almost completely frozen,
lift it up using the plastic liner of your bowl and shape the wrapped mixture
into a ball. When the "comet" is frozen and can hold its shape
on its own, unwrap it and set it somewhere you can watch it. The dry ice
will sublimate into a gas. You may see jets of carbon dioxide shoot from
your comet. After a while, your comet will shrink and become pitted, like
a comet that has been eroded by the Sun. (Based on a Recipe by Dennis Schatz,
Pacific Science Center, Seattle, WA.)
Another COMET
project developed by UC Berkeley is called "Make a Comet in the Classroom"
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/comod/mmcom.html
"DRY ICE INVESTIGATIONS" ** A Teachers Guide
"This unit
revolves around the intriguing nature of dry ice and the incessant curiosity it
provokes in all those who have the opportunity to interact with it. Whenever
science (especially chemistry) is depicted on film or television, you can almost
guarantee that you'll see dry ice bubbling away in a colorful liquid. Music
videos, scary movies, theatrical plays, and Halloween frequently feature its
eerie heavy fog slowly and silently creeping across a surface. Although it is
perhaps the ultimate symbol of "fun science," students rarely have the
opportunity to explore it themselves in science class, most likely because many
teachers often don't know where to get it, don't know what to do with it, and
are intimidated by safety issues. This guide hopes to deal thoroughly with all
these issues, and to build on the wondrous appeal of dry ice to provide a highly
memorable and powerful science learning experience."
**One of the best science books for grades 6-8 is called "Dry Ice
Investigations" from LHS Gems, UC Berkeley, (ISBN: 0-924886-15-3) available
through Amazon.com and other suppliers.
http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/GEMS/GEMDryIce.html
OTHER SITES FOR COOL PROJECTS
Brian Rich's "The
Saturday Scientist" has lots of fun projects including a singing spoon and
popping film cans.
http://http://www.west.net/~science/co2.htm
Jane Hoffman's Backyard Scientist series is recognized by the National
Science Foundation as a unique teaching resource. Her books and kits
include dry ice and are used by home, private and public schools as a
curriculum resource. All The Backyard Scientist books have received
the Award of Merit from "Curriculum Product News" magazine (now
Curriculum Administrator).
The Backyard Science Fun.
Abdul wahab Malik
is a writer of science topics and has a website
www.science4fun.info/ which is about
teaching kids about science with interesting articles on Animals, Chemistry,
Physics, Plants, Earth Science, and many more along with Easy-To-Do Experiments.
His motive is to provide science education free of cost and free of ads to
enhance the interest of everyone.
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