Whether you get dry-ice from the store, or make it at home with a fire extinguisher,
here are 5 things you could do with dry-ice, but probably shouldn't.
For this first experiment, I’m using this bottle of fuel line antifreeze because it’s
99% isopropyl alcohol. Like other alcohols, this stuff has to get tremendously cold before
it’ll freeze. So if we mix in some chunks of dry ice, you can see the ice boils violently
until the temperature cools down around -109F/-78.5C. Now we’ve got a makeshift
"cryogenic napalm", so let’s see what happens if we drop in a gummy worm. This sub zero
slurry is so cold, that it flash freezes the worm completely solid in under 20 seconds.
In fact it’s so hard now that if we try hitting it with a hammer, the whole thing
shatters like it was made of glass. The sudden transformation really is incredible, and you
might just have to break one to believe it.
Did you know you can use dry ice to make a popsicle? Start by making a groove or an indentation
in a slab of dry-ice about half an inch deep. Now try balancing a popsicle stick in the
center of the groove, then fill it up with your favorite drink. You’ll see that the
instant it touches the dry ice, it will fog over with a misty white vapor. Now because
dry ice is only freezing the liquid on the bottom side, it’s going to take a few minutes
for the cold to penetrate all the way through, so just sit back, and enjoy the magic happening
right before your eyes. In a little over 10 minutes, you should be able to give your popsicle
a little wiggle and pull it out of the mold, but don’t lick it yet. This popsicle is
about 5 times colder than normal and will stick to your tongue. So dip it in a glass
of water to warm it up a bit first, then sit back and enjoy your delicious homemade dry-icicle.
Now check this out. We know that dry-ice is a solid that sublimates straight into a gas.
But what if we could turn it into a liquid? If dry-ice can be liquified, does it become
"dry water"? Liquid CO2 can’t actually exist in our atmosphere. But if we’re really really
careful, there is a way we can see it in it’s liquid state. If we fill a special preform
with a few pieces of dry ice and seal it inside, it will immediately begin pressurizing the
container. Once the pressure gets up around 75 pounds per square inch, an amazing thing
begins to happen. The ice starts to melt, and we can actually see what liquid carbon
dioxide looks like. Now we really need to watch this carefully because as soon as the
ice melts, the pressure can quickly rise to well over 1000 PSI and blow the container.
Before this one explodes, let’s watch what happens to the fluid if we carefully release
the pressure and remove the cap. The liquid is instantly transformed into dry-ice snow,
and you can see all the fluid has suddenly disappeared. Now to show you why this demonstration
is so risky, let’s put one of these containers in a cup filled with warm water, then get
really really far away. You can see exactly how clear and beautiful liquid dry ice is,
and at the same time, exactly how powerful it can be as well. Hopefully this gives an
idea of why this should only be attempted by professionals, if attempted at all.
Here’s one you can try at home. Drop some dry ice into a container of warm water to
get a thick vapor flowing, then lean in close, and suck in as quickly as you can. If you
do it right, it’s going to look really really cool. The white smoke is safe to breathe because
it’s just water vapor mixed with carbon dioxide. So go creep someone out with your
new supernatural ability. Now if you want to take it to the next level, try capturing
all the gas in a balloon. CO2 is what triggers your reflex to exhale, and if you try breathing
it straight, it will force you to cough, tingle your insides and leave you feeling a little
light headed.
For this next experiment we need to be out in the open and away from anything flammable.
You can see I’ve drilled a hole into this slab of dry ice and that’s where we’re
going to be dropping a coiled strand of magnesium ribbon. Now watch what happens when we light
the magnesium with a blow torch, drop it down in the hole, and seal it with another slab
of dry ice. It creates a vicious reaction that burns brighter than the sun. Which you
can see is enough to light up my yard in the middle of the night. Now the crazy thing about
this, is carbon dioxide usually puts out fires because it starves the fire of oxygen. But
in this reaction the magnesium is so hungry for it, that it rips oxygen right out of the
frozen CO2, and leaves behind a pile of black and white ash. The remains are mostly Magnesium
Oxide and Magnesium Nitride, but the black ash contains a lot of elemental carbon, which,
interestingly enough, is the same stuff you use for grilling.
Well there are 5 crazy and dangerous experiments you could do with dry ice, but really
probably shouldn’t. That’s it for now. If you liked these projects perhaps you’ll
like some of my others. Check them out at www.thekingofrandom.com
I get asked all the time where to get dry ice, so I'm going to tell you.
If you’re over 18, it could be as easy as your local grocery store.
All the big chains seem to carry it, and all you have to do is ask for it when you’re checking
out. So it's as easy as that.
I’ve also got a video right over here, showing how you could make it at home with a
carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, so maybe take a look at that one next.
I am constantly working on new videos to show you, and I’ve just sat down and planned out the next
5 months worth. So "Sugar Rockets", the "Mini Arc Furnace" and "Fight Club Soap Molds" are
all on the list, because I know you’ve been patiently waiting for them.
Thank you for always being one of the first to watch my videos when they come out. I always
check to see if you like them, and what you have to say. So keep doing that, and I will
keep making them.
And I’ll be looking for you in the next project video. See you then.