Soda Bottles Freezing (or not)

Factual Questions
1

I frequently stock up on 2 liter soda bottles when they’re on a good sale, and stack them in my garage for a while. So at this time, I have probably about 60 sealed never-opened bottles or so, stacked on these soda pallets (for lack of a better term) which hold 8 bottles each, 2 wide and about 4 layers high.

The garage is attached and generally stays above freezing, but what with the recent cold snap the temps have dipped below freezing, and a few of the bottles have frozen to one extent or another. What puzzles me is that there is significant variation between one bottle and the next in this regard. There could be two bottles right next to each other, both of the same type of soda and same age, in a comparable position in the stack (meaning roughly equidistant from the top/bottom/side) with one being half or mostly frozen and the other not frozen at all.

FWIW, majority did not get frozen (possibly a bit of slush on top) but a few got a lot of ice. What explains it?

2

for freezing to start there has to be nucleation. this might be assisted by some imperfection in the container or a foreign substance in the liquid. once nucleation has started the crystal growth of freezing can occur rapidly.

if you gave a slight tap (to move the liquid) in an unfrozen bottle that might start it to freeze. if that doesn’t work then try more movement.

some bottles got cold enough to freeze and nucleation started and they froze totally or partially. other bottles either didn’t get cold enough or didn’t have nucleation start and didn’t freeze.

3

Are they all the same kind of soda? Diet freezes faster than regular.

4

The unfrozen ones have been jostled, and the internal pressure was higher. Try opening an “unfrozen” bottle and pouring it out. You may find yourself pouring slush.

5

Oh dear. You might want to watch this one too!

Exploding soda bottles

6

Nitpick - diet soda freezes at a higher temperature than regular soda. The high concentration of sugar in the water reduces the freezing point of regular soda, while the very low concentration of intensely-sweet artificial sweeteners in diet soda don’t. http://www.ehow.com/facts_7194604_sugar-affect-freezing-point-water_.html

7

There used to be–uncertain if there still is–a huge variation in sugar content (using calories as a convenient approximation) among pop flavors, with lemon-lime on the low end and grape and orange at the highest end.
Can’t imagine that there is any difference among diet flavors.

8

As noted in the OP, the sodas are almost all of the same type (regular Pepsi) and this is not the issue.

I suppose it could possibly be varying pressure. Although I had thought the pressure equalizes over time.

9

i’ve noticed tremendous differences in carbonation from one vessel to another … perhaps this could affect? at any rate … you better drink up those you have already stock-piled … “old” soda tastes worse than freshly-bottled soda. you do date/rotate them … right?

10

I do.

And we are shortly hosting a couple of big parties, so I expect a lot will go soon. And plus, some of my kids actually prefer flat Pepsi, go figure.

11

Do you mind if I piggyback on your question? Why doesn’t my soda, left in the car in the garage which is below 32F, freeze? I’m talking a can left in the cupholder.

12

No problem at all.

My suggestion is that soda contains sodium and has a freezing point below 32 degrees.

In addition, TruCelt linked to a video which said that pressure from the carbonation lowers the freezing point.

13

Thanks – it helps if I read more carefully!!

14

all of anything dissolved in the water depresses the freezing point.