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From: bitmap@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: freezing soda-pop
Message-ID: <365@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 6-Jan-84 13:00:14 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbtopaz.365
Posted: Fri Jan  6 13:00:14 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Jan-84 01:15:37 EST
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley CA USA
Lines: 21

Several times, I've had the experience of opening a bottle of
squirt or seven-up and having it turn to slush before my eyes.
After experimenting a bit with a freezer and bottles of soda-pop,
I'm unable to explain what happens to my satisfaction.

1. Supercooling:  it can happen when the bottle is chilled at most
a few degrees below 0 C.  I would expect the heat of fusion to be
still on the order of 80 cal/gram, while this low amount of
supercooling would seem to account for only a few cal/gram.  Even
though it didn't freeze solid, most of it was slush.

2. Cooling from gas expansion:  the phenomenon happens fast, before
much gas seems to be released.  It is possible that much of the gas
comes out of solution in the form of bubbles, I guess.

Does anyone know what the real cause is?  If you want to
experiment, I suggest watching your bottles, as one of mine froze
(and broke) when I left it in the freezer too long.

                          Bill, UCB