I’ve encountered a curious phenomenon in my refrigerator. One day, I mistakenly lowered the temperature, freezing various bottles of water and soda. The weird part was that one bottle would be frozen solid, but others surrounding it would not. What’s so strange about this? Well, it seems that the bottles have frozen arbitrarily. One bottle on the top shelf, two on the bottom, four in the middle. All of them in a different location .
This has been bugging me all day. Is it possible that the circulation in the fridge would freeze one bottle and not the one next to it? Do some types of soda freeze faster than others, thus causing the strange effect? Or am I just making a big deal over something mundane and easy to explain?
Based on my limited chemistry knowledge, its probably that different concentrations of dissolved substances in liquids will give them different freezing points - so that different sodas may freeze at different temperatures.
But thats only a guess.
fchick is right, but you don’t tell us what you have in your fridge. Ie, if it were a bottle of scotch, it probably wouldn’t freeze, and water would freeze before coke. If we are talking different types of sodas, then it would depend mainly on the sugar content of the drink.
However, if it is several similar sized bottles of water placed randomly around the fridge, and only a few freeze, I don’t know.
Perhaps the unfrozen bottles contain purer substances, or the bottles are smoother. To start the freezing process, there needs to be something for the crystals to begin to grow on (look at “Supercooled Water” on this site). I once had a small refrigerator into which I’d put a bottle of filtered water each night. The next morning, it would still contain pure liquid, but if I shook it vigorously, the water would freeze solid – solid enough that it would take most of the day before it would completely thaw. I never tried repeating the experiment with tap water, but I suspect that the bottles would’ve come out frozen if I had.
I wonder if bottle shape has anything to do with it?
Frozen list : 2 spring water (1 litre) bottom shelf
1 peach iced tea (20 oz) top shelf
4 Diet Coke w/ Lemon (20 oz) middle shelf
I have 2 12-packs of Caffein-free Coke cans and a 12-pack of Coke cans. These seem to be ok. Also a few other bottle of water and soda that are unfrozen.
Does the airflow go down the back of the fridge? The only commonality I can find between frozen bottles is that they all touch the back wall. Some of the unfrozen ones do, as well. Would the airflow have anything to do with it?
Thanks for the responses. This is going to drive me mad and I’ve purposely left my refrigerator at freezing temperatures until I can reason this out.
Well it seems pretty clear to me. The water is pretty pure so it will freeze at 0 Celsius. As it is on the bottom shelf, it is in the coldest part of the fridge, as cold air sinks. Also, as they touch the back wall (where the element is, I assume) they are nearest the cold element. What about the ‘other bottles of water’ that you mentioned (ie position, size etc.)
OK, cold air sinks so frozen water on the bottom shelf is not so weird, but their are two unfrozen bottles of water and various cans on bottom shelf as well.
The only thing I can come up with is that they all are positoned towards the back and to the right. Can such a small space have such varying temperatures that liquid in one corner would freeze, but the same liquid in another coner would not?
This is beyond my understanding really, but as a totally unsubstantiated guess, I would say that the as the air is cold, it does not move much and there are less currents of rising hot air/falling cold air. Therefore, yes, there must be cold patches in your fridge. As I have said, unless they are water, I doubt the cans would not freeze, as they have sugar (or alcohol) in them. Also, to make an obvious point: maybe the unfrozen bottles were just put in later?
I’ve just had another thought - this is a fridge right? fridges aren’t meant to freeze things, thats for freezers, and were talking completely frozen here, right? Even if you turned it down really far. How old is your fridge? maybe it’s old and slightly defective, so you get colder patches.
This sounds like the most likely scenario. Why one drink froze and another did not, though they both contain the same liquid, still remains a mystery to me. Thanks for the responses folks!!
Sorry, Nukeman. I forgot to answer your questions in my last post.
Yes, it is a fridge. By the looks of it, an old one. It has that 70’s Avacado color. It came with the apartment, so there might be a malfunction. A sticker on the inside of the freezer section says “Complies With 1977 California Energy Standards”.
Even if you turned it down really far. How old is your fridge? maybe it’s old and slightly defective, so you get colder patches.