# Where can I buy liquid nitrogen in the Boston area? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807 "2009-08-18T02:34:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/1 "2009-08-18T02:34:07Z")
I want to try making ice cream with liquid nitrogen. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/2 "2009-08-18T02:46:56Z")
Try [http://www.boc-gases.com/products\_and\_services/by\_product/nitrogen/index.asp](http://www.boc-gases.com/products_and_services/by_product/nitrogen/index.asp) > [@](#): > > Supply options > Call Us or Email Us for advice on the most cost effective supply option to meet your needs, these include: > > ``` > * Compressed nitrogen – gas cylinders for convenience or for mobile supply. Cylinder sizes and pressures are tailored to local markets. > * Liquid nitrogen cylinders – for small volume cryogenic applications. > * Bulk nitrogen – delivered by cryogenic tankers into on-site storage for high-volume applications. > * On-site nitrogen generation – for secure cost-effective supply, from low volume ultra-high purity nitrogen supply to electronics facilities to hundreds of tonnes a day for food freezing. > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/3 "2009-08-18T16:23:09Z")
Isn’t it in the yellow pages under welding supplies? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/4 "2009-08-18T19:09:13Z")
You can also often get it from universities, of which there are a few in the Boston area. Contact the physics or engineering departments. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/5 "2009-08-19T17:32:17Z")
No clue where to get it but I wanted to pop in and say it’s great fun at parties, freezing and smashing stuff. A physics grad student brought a dewar of it to a party I attended and many laughs were had by all. Disclaimer: the stuff can injure if improperly handled so don’t do this unless you know what you’re doing. Maybe also not good to combine LN games with alcohol consumption, which I guess limits the types of parties at which such fun should be had. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/6 "2009-08-20T15:09:09Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > A physics grad student brought a dewar of it to a party I attended and many laughs were had by all. How does the OP hope to transport the nitrogen? IME, an (empty) dewar costs \>$500. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/7 "2009-08-20T16:56:49Z")
You only need a dewar for long-term storage. For the short term, an ordinary consumer thermos like the one you carry hot coffee in will work fine. The only caveat is that you have to file the threads off the cap so it doesn’t close tightly-- Try to seal a thermos of liquid nitrogen, and you’ve got yourself a bomb. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/8 "2009-08-20T17:09:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You can also often get it from universities, of which there are a few in the Boston area. Contact the physics or engineering departments. Heck, wander around the basements of various MIT buildings, and you just may find a storage tank or two, complete with filling stations. NW16. Info is 20 years old, use at your own risk ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/9 "2009-08-20T17:18:37Z")
Thanks for the responses. I’m still trying to get a hold of the gas distributor on MIT’s campus. My thought (perhaps ignorant) was that I could rent the dewar from the distributor. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/10 "2009-08-20T17:32:47Z")
\>No clue where to get it but I wanted to pop in and say it’s great fun at parties, freezing and smashing stuff. Cool. What did you smash? Im guessing plants and food are safe. Was there a lot of cleanup afterwards? Im guessing the pieces fly everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/11 "2009-08-20T17:46:14Z")
Just don’t be like the German cook that blew off his hands. [Article](http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090713-20575.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/12 "2009-08-20T17:53:44Z")
> [@HorseloverFat](#): > > \>No clue where to get it but I wanted to pop in and say it’s great fun at parties, freezing and smashing stuff. > > Cool. What did you smash? Im guessing plants and food are safe. Was there a lot of cleanup afterwards? Im guessing the pieces fly everywhere. Yeah - I seem to recall leaves, and a ketchup packet (the contents turn into pale orange powder). Plus whatever other things we gathered up from the party supplies. This was 20+ years back so I don’t recall all the details but I’m pretty sure we swept up; it was in a basement room with concrete floor so not too messy, all in all. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/13 "2009-08-20T17:56:23Z")
Any idea of how much you used? Id like to buy the safest amount possible. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/14 "2009-08-20T19:18:54Z")
> [@HorseloverFat](#): > > Any idea of how much you used? Id like to buy the safest amount possible. I doubt it was very much - probably less than a pint. It was brought in an open-top dewar (sort of like a Thermos on steroids) by a grad student whose lab was down the hall. The dewar was perhaps the size of a half-gallon milk container. I wouldn’t really recommend playing around with the stuff, unless you know what you’re doing regarding handling the stuff safely. As the article from **Harmonious Discord** shows, and **Chronos** points out, the stuff _can_ be dangerous if mishandled. At the very least, spill it on yourself and you’ll get a nasty case of freezerburn (no joke - anywhere from a few blisters to more serious skin damage). Same caution goes for **Deeg** who wants it for culinary purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/15 "2009-08-20T21:12:48Z")
> [@](#): > > At the very least, spill it on yourself and you’ll get a nasty case of freezerburn (no joke - anywhere from a few blisters to more serious skin damage). Not unless you have extended skin contact. You could dump a bucket of it over your head and it’d just spill harmlessly off of you. You can even plunge a hand into it, as long as you’re quick about it. Now, plunging your hand in and leaving it there for a few seconds, that’s bad, but that’s beyond the realm of “didn’t take adequate precautions” and into “just plain stupid”. The only real precaution you need to take beyond “don’t be stupid” is to not seal the stuff up (that looks like the mistake that German chef made). ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/16 "2009-08-20T21:43:16Z")
I assume that one should be careful choosing the containers to use. For example, don’t pour LN2 into a glass (or possibly ceramic bowl). ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/17 "2009-08-20T22:07:09Z")
i wouldn’t consider it something to play with. that said if you haven’t used it before and know how to use it then i would think it stupid to not have eye protection for splashing fluids. ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/18 "2009-08-20T22:40:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Not unless you have extended skin contact. You could dump a bucket of it over your head and it’d just spill harmlessly off of you. You can even plunge a hand into it, as long as you’re quick about it. Don’t believe him. We use LN2 to freeze cell lines and mouse bits for storage and before grinding tissue for RNA/protein extraction. Splashing the stuff on yourself will, at the very least, give you a whole new meaning of “burning cold”. Whatever you’ve got the stuff in, or freeze in it, be careful about touching/holding it for too long. The first thing that happens is your skin/fingers/whatever goes numb, so you don’t notice the irreparable tissue damage… Note that, for short-term manipulation, you can perfectly well put a small amount of LN2 in one of those foam ice buckets like they used to have in motels, or even a styrofoam cooler; it evaporates fairly quickly though. Watch out for splashes, and make sure you maintain appropriate ventilation. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/19 "2009-08-21T00:26:50Z")
Really? I’ve never been hurt when I’ve splashed it on myself. Was yours maybe maintained at below the boiling point? The bit about glass or ceramic bowls is a good point, though: The thermal shock can crack them. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807/20 "2009-08-21T01:17:05Z")
I was given about a gallon if it once. It came in a very thick styrofoam cooler. Onions shatter like glass. Carrots spinter into shards. Frozen potato chips taste nasty. A can of Pepsi was ice cold after 5 seconds. Slugs, potato bugs, and bees do not come back to life, the ants that did not break moved when thawed but were not the same. And for the 420 friendly, flash frozen bud is hard to light and other than a odd taste, it doesn’t help or hurt the buzz. An afterthought was a bong filled with liquid nitrogen. What would the smoke do when frozen? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-liquid-nitrogen-in-the-boston-area/506807.md?page=2)