the mysterious melt-proof ice cubes
When I was off work with my dislocated shoulder, I had a lot of time on my hands. One day in the kitchen, I noticed that the ice cubes in my refrigerator freezer were stale. Normally, I toss the old ice in the kitchen sink, wash the trays, refill with fresh water from my Brita, and freeze. But since I had already moved a container of homemade stew from the freezer to the fridge for thawing, I had an idea: put the ice cubes in the fridge, and let them melt there.
Since I pay for the electricity in my apartment, I thought this made sense: try and recapture some of the energy that went into freezing the water. (Again, I was off work for five days, stuck in my apartment with the kind of sling that's not fun. The mind tends to wander.)
I got a bowl, put the ice cubes in, and placed it in the fridge.
The next day, my stew had thawed. But the ice cubes were still there. Slightly melted and 'glommed' together, but still ice.
They didn't melt for four days. I took the bowl out and investigated. The cubes had melted a bit around the bottom, taking the shape of the bowl. There was a bit of water. I put the ice in the sink and washed the bowl. Experiment over.
Although I don't have a fridge thermometer, the temperature setting must be about right. Even in the back of the fridge, items don't freeze. Why didn't the ice cubes melt? Maybe I should be scared of Toronto's water.
Sometimes, I think of the cities "upriver" from Toronto in the Great Lakes watershed: Chicago*, Milwaukee, Detroit, Windsor, Cleveland, Buffalo. Add to that list the smaller cities--many with manufacturing/petrochemical refining/paper mill concerns (Duluth/Superior, Thunder Bay, Green Bay, Escanaba, Sault Ste. Marie, Sarnia, Toledo, Erie, Hamilton). A lot of wastewater is heading down to Lake Ontario, Toronto's water source.
*Chicago diverts its wastewater out of the Great Lakes basin, and into the Mississippi watershed. I don't know whether to be relieved or concerned about this.
Why didn't the ice cubes melt?
links and resources:
great-lakes.net
diversions from the Great Lakes watershed
shhh everything is fine!
CBC series on the health of the lakes
Since I pay for the electricity in my apartment, I thought this made sense: try and recapture some of the energy that went into freezing the water. (Again, I was off work for five days, stuck in my apartment with the kind of sling that's not fun. The mind tends to wander.)
I got a bowl, put the ice cubes in, and placed it in the fridge.
The next day, my stew had thawed. But the ice cubes were still there. Slightly melted and 'glommed' together, but still ice.
They didn't melt for four days. I took the bowl out and investigated. The cubes had melted a bit around the bottom, taking the shape of the bowl. There was a bit of water. I put the ice in the sink and washed the bowl. Experiment over.
Although I don't have a fridge thermometer, the temperature setting must be about right. Even in the back of the fridge, items don't freeze. Why didn't the ice cubes melt? Maybe I should be scared of Toronto's water.
Sometimes, I think of the cities "upriver" from Toronto in the Great Lakes watershed: Chicago*, Milwaukee, Detroit, Windsor, Cleveland, Buffalo. Add to that list the smaller cities--many with manufacturing/petrochemical refining/paper mill concerns (Duluth/Superior, Thunder Bay, Green Bay, Escanaba, Sault Ste. Marie, Sarnia, Toledo, Erie, Hamilton). A lot of wastewater is heading down to Lake Ontario, Toronto's water source.
*Chicago diverts its wastewater out of the Great Lakes basin, and into the Mississippi watershed. I don't know whether to be relieved or concerned about this.
Why didn't the ice cubes melt?
links and resources:
great-lakes.net
diversions from the Great Lakes watershed
shhh everything is fine!
CBC series on the health of the lakes
Comments
I do know melting takes energy and therefore absorbs heat thus taking heat from its surroundings.
Perhaps in a bowl, the gradual melting caused the air in the bowl to chill, thus prolonging the melting process.
Then again, I could be talking out of my ass.
;-)
btw, it was warmer in Toronto this morning than it was in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. I'm just sayin'.
N
So, there you go.
butchie: yeah, and in Indiana, I'll bet you call your soft drinks "soda."
AG: why did the homemade stew thaw so much faster? Riddle me that, Uncanny Canadian. Is it because of the difference in relative water content? (ice, obviously, being about 100%)
I still think it's the water. I'm probably growing a huge tumor inside me as we speak. TOXINS! DIOXINS! I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!
(heehee!)
What does he think you live in Alberta??
:)
I will send UC the link and see if we can get a guest Scientist comment over here.
We can stop short of mailing me distilled deionized water. I probably seem crazy enough after this post. (My main intent was to get people thinking about the source of their drinking water, the environment, etc.)
I am so happy now.
I am so excited you're happy now.