Dry Ice Science
Experiment
by Caroline Bittorf, 3rd grade
Berwyn School District Digital Science Fair 2012
• My
Background
neighbor’s dad brought some dry
ice home from work last summer. He
let me, my friend, and my sister play
with it.
• We made candy by pouring syrup and
soda on it. We also put it in a bucket
and watched it bubble.
• Dry ice is cool!!! I wanted to learn more,
so that’s why I picked this project.
Problem
What turns dry ice into a
gas the fastest: Milk,
Orange Juice or Water?
Source 1
I read a book called Cool Dry Ice Devices by
James Hopwood.
This is what I learned:
1. Sublimation is the process of dry ice
turning into a gas. The gas is carbon dioxide.
2. Dry ice does not melt and make a soggy
mess.
Source 2
I visited a website called dryicenetwork.com
•
•
•
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide.
Dry ice was seen on planets and comets.
Dry ice does not melt. Instead it let’s go
of a gas called carbon dioxide.
• Carbon dioxide turns into a solid at -109.3
F
• Water turns into a solid at 32.0.F
Hypothesis
If dry ice is put into liquids such as milk, orange
juice, and water, the dry ice would turn into a gas
the fastest in water, the second fastest in orange
juice, and the slowest in milk.
My Experiment
First I put an equal amount of dry ice into
each bottle. Next I put a different liquid into
three bottles. Now I was ready for the
experiment. Very quickly I put balloons on
the tops of the bottles. I saw which balloon
got the biggest the fastest.
I will...
Trial One
Trial Two
Trial Three
Results
Water
Orange
Juice
Milk
Trial #1
3
2
1
Trial #2
2
3
1
Trial #3
3
2
1
Conclusions
After 3 trials I found out milk turns dry ice into
gas the fastest. Orange juice is slower than milk
but is faster than water.
I was surprised! I thought water would make the
dry ice sublimate the fastest.
I wanted to know the reason why milk was the
fastest.
More Facts...
I got information at a website called Science for
Kids at AllExperts.com. This is what I found out:
1. Dry ice sublimates faster with a liquid than with
air because a Liquid is thicker and conducts heat
faster.
2. Milk is more dense or thick than orange juice
and water.
3. Milk has protein in it so it can make a lot of
bubbles! And the bubbles last longer.