Science Smarts: Slush science

By PATTY ROOKS on June 18, 2021.

Of course this weekend has a very special day – Father’s Day!

I hope you have someone special to celebrate in your life in order to show them just how important they are to you. After the extreme temperatures this week, I thought we could make a cool and refreshing treat in order to rejuvenate dad. Of course, all in the meantime, showcasing our science skills. Let’s get started!

Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment.

Materials

• 1 medium zipper bag

• 1 small zipper bag

• Ice

• Rock/coarse salt

• Measuring spoon

• Measuring cup

• Stirring spoon

• Juice/soda/beverage of choice

• Glass

• Straw

Procedure

• Fill the medium zipper bag half full of ice.

• Measure 30 mL (two tablespoons) salt and add to the ice.

• Stir this well and zip the baggie closed.

• Measure 250 mL (one cup) of your beverage of choice and pour into the small zipper bag.

• Carefully squeeze any air out and zip up closed. Make sure it is closed.

• Add the small bag to the medium bag. Zip up.

• Shake, shake, shake.

• Remove the small bag from the ice/salt mixture.

• Rinse off under fresh water.

• Pour the contents into a glass, add a straw and enjoy!

What is going on?

When the salt and ice mix, the freezing point of the ice is lowered causing the ice to melt. Hmm…where is the heat coming from to cause the ice to melt you might wonder. Well, the heat that causes the ice to melt in this case is from the warmer juice mixture in the other baggie. This is why you have to keep shaking and shaking and shaking the mixture up as you are continually moving the warmer juice mixture from the middle of the baggie to the outside where it can begin to freeze evenly. By lowering the temperature that the ice freezes in the baggie, we are able to create temperatures below 0°C which is necessary for the juice to freeze into delicious refreshing slushie!

Patty Rooks, Senior Scientific Consultant PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community”. Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. NOTE our NEW address: #12 826 11 Street S. E., Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403-527-5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca.

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