Dry Ice Why is it called DRY ice? Tahoma Jr. High 8 th Grade Science Maple Valley, WA

Dry ice “burns” like fire Q: Why? A: Dry “ice” (actually frozen carbon dioxide) is cold: -109 degrees Fahrenheit (-78 degrees Celsius). When you hold dry ice in your bare hand, you freeze the tissues of your skin more and more deeply (“frostbite”). Only a two second exposure starts the process of frostbite – so wear gloves!

The skin contains different sensors for cold and heat. The sensors can only tell the difference between cold and heat only within a small temperature range. Touching dry ice overwhelms the sensors and triggers simple pain (not cold or hot).

Of course, something this cold is NOT something you would want to swallow – not even a small piece. Be very careful if it is used at parties in drinks. Large pieces cannot be swallowed, but smaller ones can – causing frostbite going down and in your stomach – and can even cause death! (it’s good to know some science!) REGARDLESS - NEVER put anything in your mouth when working in a science lab. You never know what chemicals are around and getting on your hands.

The next slide shows what can happen if you put a piece of dry ice into a plastic bottle and screw the cap on tight. DO NOT DO THIS OR ELSE… you may be voluntarily removed from the gene pool !

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