Watch glass with stand, vacuum pump with bell jar, water, concentrated sulfuric acid in a shallow dish
Watch glass with stand, vacuum pump with bell jar, water, concentrated sulfuric acid in a shallow dish
concentrated sulfuric acid in a shallow dish.
concentrated sulfuric acid in a shallow dish.

 

Code Number: 4C31.21

Demo Title: Freezing Water - Reduced Pressure

Condition: Excellent

Principle: Pressure Effects on Changes of State

Area of Study: Thermodynamics

Equipment: 

Watch glass with stand, vacuum pump with bell jar, water, (if needed) concentrated sulfuric acid in a shallow dish.

Procedure:

Warm up the vacuum pump for 30 minutes before performing the demo so that the water will not be absorbed into the pump oil.  Place a silver dollar sized spot of water on the watch glass.  Open the gas ballast valve on the vacuum pump first, ( this helps keep water from being absorbed into the pump oil ), and then open the valve to the bell jar.  The water will appear to boil after 20 seconds and should freeze within 45 seconds.

 OLD WAY TO DO THE DEMO:  Put the watch glass stand over the dish of sulfuric acid. Put water into the watch glass or Petri dish ( 1 ml or less ). Place the entire apparatus under a bell jar with suitable seals and evacuate. With a motor-driven pump, it will take about 1-2 minutes for the water to freeze.

Note:  The sulfuric acid helps greatly when trying to freeze large quantities of water ( 1 ml to 5 ml) and also cuts down on the pumping time.  DO NOT let the sulfuric acid stand open to the atmosphere for any length of time as it will absorb water quickly.  It will then be useless when performing the demo.

References:

  • Paul Hewitt, "Answer to January 2018 Figuring Physics", TPT, Vol. 56, #2, Feb. 2018, p. 117.
  • Pietro Ferraro, "Opaque or Opalescent?", TPT, Vol. 37, #1, Jan. 1999, p. 3.
  • Mario Capitolo, "Phase-Change Demonstration - Instant Gratification", TPT, Vol. 36, #6, Sept. 1998, p. 349.
  • Robert M. Graham, "Freezing by Boiling Using a Low Capacity Pump Without Acid", TPT, Vol. 15, #6, Sept. 1977, p. 367.
  • H-280: "Vapor - Liquid - Ice",  DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.
  • H-70: "Change of State", Richard Manliffe Sutton, Demonstration Experiments in Physics.
  • George M. Hopkins, "Cyrophorus", Experimental Science, p. 188.
  • Martin Gardner, "Boiling Without Heat", Entertaining Science Experiments with Everyday Objects, p. 107.
  • Julien Clinton Sprott, "2.7, Freezing by Evaporation", Physics Demonstrations, ISBN 0-299-21580-6, p. 82.
  • Jearl Walker, "4.61, Cool Water from Porous Pottery", The Flying Circus of Physics Ed. 2, p. 203.
  • Ron Hipschman, "Water Freezer", Exploratorium Cookbook III, p. 184.1 - 184.4.
  • Z. V. Harvalik, "Vacuum by Freezing", Apparatus for Teaching Physics, p. 37.
  • Borislaw Bilash II, “Boil It Cold“, A Demo A Day – A Year of Physical Science Demonstrations, p. 70.
  • Julius Sumner Miller, Q182 & A182, Millergrams II – Some More Enchanting Questions for Enquiring Minds, p. 48 & 101.
  • Joseph Frick, "#10 - Freezing Water", Physical Technics: Or, Practical Instructions for Making Experiments in Physics and the Construction of Physical Apparatus with the Most Limited Means", p. 117.
  • "Freezing Apparatus", Pike's Illustrated Catalogue of Scientific & Medical Instruments, 1984, p. 217.
4C31.21 - Freezing Water - Reduced Pressure

 

4C31.21 - Freezing Water - Reduced Pressure