Ask A Scientist© Chemistry Archive

  
  > >    name         LaToya
 > >    status       other
 > >    age          20s

 > >    Question -   My 8 year old son is a project "Do all liquids freeze at
 > > the same rate?"  I can not find anything on this subject. Can you please
 > > assist us on any information that you have. Thank you for your time 
and help


LaToya,

     Consider two different liquids such as water and mercury (a metal that is
liquid at room temperature).  If you lower the temperature of both liquids 
to 30
deg F the water will freeze but the mercury will not.  In order to make the
mercury freeze you have to cool it to almost -38 deg F.

     Thus I have to conclude that the rate of freezing is NOT the same for all
liquids.  It depends, among other things, on the temperature relative to the
liquid's freezing point and on the contact with the cold (a thin layer of water
will freeze much faster than an equal volume of water in a glass).

Greg Bradburn

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