Randomguy Posted March 27 Share #1 Posted March 27 I am having iced tea in a big-ass mason jar right now. The tea is leftover from yesterday, I made some to stick in the fridge for today. I put ice cubes in this morning so's to keep it cold over time whilst I drink it, but the cubes are behaving like the dude in Terminator 2, and formed a block of ice in kind of a haphazard latticey way. Why did it do that? It doesn't happen when I make iced tea in the normal way, meaning making hot tea, and then adding ice to the hot tea (actually, I do it the other way around). The cubes stay loose and mostly behave. I am mystified, but I haven't given it a proper think yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted March 27 Share #2 Posted March 27 2 minutes ago, Randomguy said: I am having iced tea in a big-ass mason jar right now. The tea is leftover from yesterday, I made some to stick in the fridge for today. I put ice cubes in this morning so's to keep it cold over time whilst I drink it, but the cubes are behaving like the dude in Terminator 2, and formed a block of ice in kind of a haphazard latticey way. Why did it do that? It doesn't happen when I make iced tea in the normal way, meaning making hot tea, and then adding ice to the hot tea. The cubes stay loose and mostly behave. I am mystified, but I haven't given it a proper think yet. It is mystifying! Like "why does yoghurt hold together until disturbed and then separates"? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted March 27 Share #3 Posted March 27 I'm thinking Dr Mickn could explain the scientific reason for your ice conundrum in something just less than 18 paragraphs. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted March 27 Author Share #4 Posted March 27 4 minutes ago, Kzoo said: I'm thinking Dr Mickn could explain the scientific reason for your ice conundrum in something just less than 18 paragraphs. So, the postcard version? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted March 27 Author Share #5 Posted March 27 30 minutes ago, Wilbur said: It is mystifying! Like "why does yoghurt hold together until disturbed and then separates"? Yeah, what is up with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted March 27 Share #6 Posted March 27 If your freezer is very cold, -20 or whatever, the ice is much colder on the inside than the outside and when you add it to a drink the outer layer melts a bit and then the really cold center causes refreezing and the ice that is touching clumps together. I think you have to have large cubes too, not crushed ice or those smaller cubes with holes in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsnip Totin Jack ★ Posted March 27 Share #7 Posted March 27 13 minutes ago, Randomguy said: So, the postcard version? Ice is frozen water. You can’t tell water what to do, only try and contain it. Same with ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted March 27 Share #8 Posted March 27 18 minutes ago, Randomguy said: So, the postcard version? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted March 27 Share #9 Posted March 27 12 minutes ago, jsharr said: If your freezer is very cold, -20 or whatever, I set our freezer at 0oF (I presume it is F). Should I be jacking it down even further??? -20o seems insane! Are you insane? Is your source for your explanation INSANE? Should we worry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted March 27 Share #10 Posted March 27 1 minute ago, Kzoo said: lol Do I need to expand on my succinct and correct answer above? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted March 27 Share #11 Posted March 27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted March 27 Share #12 Posted March 27 1 hour ago, Kzoo said: lol no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted March 27 Share #13 Posted March 27 Just now, Kzoo said: no You are talking to yourself again. brain freeze? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted March 27 Share #14 Posted March 27 Just now, jsharr said: You are talking to yourself again. brain freeze? Huh Yeah, maybe. I'm not sure. Congealed synapses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted March 27 Share #15 Posted March 27 1 minute ago, Kzoo said: Huh Yeah, maybe. I'm not sure. Congealed synapses. I have never had synapes? What does it taste like? Hopefully not black licorice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted March 27 Share #16 Posted March 27 5 hours ago, Kzoo said: I'm thinking Dr Mickn could explain the scientific reason for your ice conundrum in something just less than 18 paragraphs. I'm not sure. It could have something to do with the temperature of the tea when the ice cubes were added causing just the right amount of kinetic energy change around the ice cubes to make them stick together. The evaporation rate of the tea could also affect the ice behavior. For some years, there was a debate in Chemical and Engineering News, the magazine of the American Chemical Society, over whether a hot mix or a cold mix of ingredients froze faster into ice cream in the freezer and why. Some serious chemists said the hot liquid freezes faster because it causes an initial high rate of temperature drop that keeps going at a fast rate all the way to freezing due to various theories about molecular motion and kinetic energy. I always thought they were a lot of bullshit, so I'll just say I don't know why the ice in the tea congealed - but there's a kinetic vs potential energy dynamic going on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Further Posted March 27 Share #17 Posted March 27 3 hours ago, MickinMD said: I'm not sure. It could have something to do with the temperature of the tea when the ice cubes were added causing just the right amount of kinetic energy change around the ice cubes to make them stick together. The evaporation rate of the tea could also affect the ice behavior. For some years, there was a debate in Chemical and Engineering News, the magazine of the American Chemical Society, over whether a hot mix or a cold mix of ingredients froze faster into ice cream in the freezer and why. Some serious chemists said the hot liquid freezes faster because it causes an initial high rate of temperature drop that keeps going at a fast rate all the way to freezing due to various theories about molecular motion and kinetic energy. I always thought they were a lot of bullshit, so I'll just say I don't know why the ice in the tea congealed - but there's a kinetic vs potential energy dynamic going on. Mick won't claim to know what he doesn't. But man, when Mick knows, he KNOWS. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen ★ Posted March 27 Share #18 Posted March 27 3 hours ago, MickinMD said: I'm not sure. It could have something to do with the temperature of the tea when the ice cubes were added causing just the right amount of kinetic energy change around the ice cubes to make them stick together. The evaporation rate of the tea could also affect the ice behavior. For some years, there was a debate in Chemical and Engineering News, the magazine of the American Chemical Society, over whether a hot mix or a cold mix of ingredients froze faster into ice cream in the freezer and why. Some serious chemists said the hot liquid freezes faster because it causes an initial high rate of temperature drop that keeps going at a fast rate all the way to freezing due to various theories about molecular motion and kinetic energy. I always thought they were a lot of bullshit, so I'll just say I don't know why the ice in the tea congealed - but there's a kinetic vs potential energy dynamic going on. As the already cold tea comes into contact with the ice, particles of tea leaves become nucleation points and the ice cubes grow tea colored ice Afros. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted March 28 Share #19 Posted March 28 2 hours ago, Allen said: As the already cold tea comes into contact with the ice, particles of tea leaves become nucleation points and the ice cubes grow tea colored ice Afros. Best answer yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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