You Can Blow Soap Bubbles And Instantly Freeze Them Into Ice Orbs

FROZEN BUBBLE


In the wake of America’s recent snowpocalypse, it seems only fitting to remind you that some truly wondrous things can come out of bad weather. For photographer Chris Ratzlaff, it’s the opportunity to freeze soap bubbles. While it takes some practice, anyone can recreate the jaw-dropping effect at home—so long as “home” happens to be somewhere very, very cold.

There’s some interesting science at play here. Every bubble is made up of three individual layers: a thin layer of water molecules squished between two layers of soap. It might look like the entire surface of the bubble is freezing, but what you’re actually seeing is the innermost layer of water—which freezes at warmer temperatures than soapy water—turning to ice within the film.

FROZEN BUBBLE AS ICE FORMS

You can see ice forming at the top and bottom of this bubble.

Chris Ratzlaff

Unfortunately, the frozen bubbles don’t last long. As ice crystals form in the bubble’s surface, something else forms along with them: cracks. This means that any air trapped inside the sphere suddenly has an escape route. As air molecules diffuse through the tiny cracks between ice crystals, the sudden drop in internal pressure causes the bubble to implode, crushed by the force of the atmosphere.

Before the bubbles pop, Ratzlaff takes photos and videos of the freezing process. “Watching the ice crystals dance across the surface of the bubble as they freeze is mesmerizing,” he says. “When you photograph them, they look like tiny little planets. It fires the imagination.”

Read More at:
https://www.popsci.com/how-to-freeze-soap-bubbles-into-ice-orbs#page-2

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