Dry ice is a very necessary and irreplaceable thing. It can be used to maintain a constant low temperature, cooling any household items in conditions of high ambient temperatures. It is widely used in industry, as a cooler for tanks and refrigerators, in cooking when creating culinary masterpieces. But it's not always possible to get dry ice when you need it.
There are several options for how to get or make dry ice with your own hands in an ordinary kitchen.
What is dry ice
In fact, this substance has nothing to do with frozen water, that is, with ordinary ice, except for the ability to maintain low temperatures or cool something. The formula of dry ice is the same as that of carbon dioxide - CO2. In fact, this is a gas that has been transferred to a solid state of aggregation, bypassing the liquid phase.
With this chemicalwe meet every day. It is found in exhaled air. When you buy soda or a drink in the store, you have often seen carbon dioxide bubbles rush out when you open a bottle.
A large amount of it is emitted with vehicle exhaust gases and is contained in the ambient air. Due to its ability to suppress combustion processes, it is used in the manufacture of fire extinguishers for domestic and industrial purposes. Carbon dioxide is used by plants for the process of photosynthesis. But isolating it from the environment is a very laborious and costly process.
Getting dry ice
As absurd as it sounds, dry ice is a gas. On an industrial scale, it is obtained by cooling carbon dioxide at high pressure. At home, these processes cannot be carried out, because. requires specialized equipment and the creation of certain conditions. However, there are still some options for how to make dry ice with your own hands.
Dry ice from a fire extinguisher
Initially, to get dry ice, you will need a fire extinguisher, a heavy cloth bag, and wire or duct tape.
Attach the existing bag to the base of the fire extinguisher socket so that there are no holes left. To be sure, it is better to seal it with tape or insulating tape. Tightness plays a very important role here. Next, carefully remove the fuse from the handle.fire extinguisher and release a few jets of carbon dioxide by pressing the bleed valve. Thus, the carbon dioxide in the pressurized fire extinguisher bottle does not have time to cool down and accumulates in the bag in the form of powder or crystals. In order for it not to evaporate, it must be placed in an airtight container or bag and sealed tightly.
In the same way, you can get dry ice with your own hands from a carbon dioxide cylinder, which is used for welding. The cylinder valve should be opened very slowly, because the pressure of the gas in it is very high. You should be extremely careful not to allow carbon dioxide to get on the skin of the hands and face, as this can cause frostbite.
Dry ice tube
The following method may come in handy if you have access to the most basic laboratory equipment. If this is not possible, then at home it can be used without any problems. To do this, you will need a fire extinguisher, goggles, baking soda, vinegar, and a strong plastic bag.
Do-it-yourself dry ice can be obtained in small quantities with a few simple laboratory experiments.
To do this, you need to get carbon dioxide by mixing soda, which is available in any kitchen, and table vinegar. The structure and formula of dry ice determine its gaseous state. For the convenience of collecting carbon dioxide, this experiment should be carried out in a glass test tube with a gas outlet tube. The end of the tube should be placed in water. Rising bubbles of carbon dioxide will fill another tube, displacing water. To get more carbon dioxide, they should fill the existing plastic bag.
In order to get dry ice, the temperature of which is very low, you need carbon dioxide and the creation of certain conditions. This is not possible in a simple laboratory or at home. The gas from the bag can be used as a base or substrate to increase the amount of dry ice. But it needs to be cooled down. To do this, the gas bag must be fixed on the same source of dry ice, a fire extinguisher or a cylinder, and several jets should be released into the bag. Thus, dry ice will cool the carbon dioxide from the bag, which will contribute to its precipitation in the solid phase.
Using dry ice
Dry ice is cold enough to make homemade ice cream or other desserts that require refrigeration or quick freezing. It can also be used to cool food and drinks at an outdoor picnic, but contact with moisture should be avoided.
Dry ice in the water begins to turn into a gaseous state, which is accompanied by copious emission of heavy thick smoke.
Safety
Before you use a fire extinguisher for your experiments, you should make sure that it is carbon dioxide. There must be a special information marking on its body. The use of other types of fire extinguishers is notwill produce the expected result and can be dangerous.
Don't try to get dry ice from gas or air gun bottles. Opening these objects is extremely dangerous and can lead to unpredictable consequences. Protective goggles and gloves must be worn when working with a fire extinguisher to avoid getting cold carbon dioxide on the mucous membranes.
Carbon dioxide fire extinguisher is best purchased at the appropriate store. Then you can be sure that it is completely serviceable. Dry ice can be obtained from it by periodically refueling it, for example, in a fire station.
