You will need:
- Half a cup of milk.
- Half a cup of cream.
- Chocolate or strawberry topping.
- A medium strong plastic freezer bags
- 2 Zip-loc bags.
- Half a cup of salt
- Crushed ice and a hand towel
- A mixing bowl
- A spoon


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Why Does This Happen?
Water normally freezes at 0oCelsius, however, adding the salt causes the freezing point of the ice to be lowered. A 10% solution of salt in water lowers the freezing point of water to -6oCelsius, whereas a 20% salt solution lowers the freezing point to -16oCelsius. Saltwater, therefore, needs a lower temperature to become a solid. This means that you end up having ‘supercooled water’ touching the inner bag, which helps to freeze the ice cream inside.
Variables to test
- With gloves on, try dry ice instead. Does this work better or worse?
- Try the experiment without salt.
- Try pure thickened cream vs adding some water to it. Does this change the texture and freezing time?
From colour changes to slimy science, we’ve got your kitchen chemistry covered!
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Chemistry Show
Years 3 to 6
Maximum 60 students
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60 minutes
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