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Brainfreeze:
Liquid Nitrogen In Action Workshop
Date : Wednesday, 24 Feb 2021
Venue : NIE Science Laboratories (Block 7A-Basement 1-Room 03)
With a boiling point of -195.8°C, liquid nitrogen is literally one of the coolest things to work with in the realms of science. Know what else is cool? Ice cream! In October 2019, Club Sci·Napse launched its first-ever liquid nitrogen ice cream making workshop, where participants discover how cafes like “320 Below” or “Ice Queen” use the freezing powers of nitrogen to create the frozen delicacy loved and indulged by many.
Nitrogen is one of the most abundant non-metal elements on Earth. It is interesting and especially useful in its applications in industries, fertilisers and even in explosives. The inert properties of nitrogen allow it to be used for biological purposes, such as the preservation of eggs and sperms, or the collection of chord cells. As a gas that is highly sought after, nitrogen has amazing and unique properties. Interestingly, once nitrogen is condensed into a liquid, it takes on a whole new dimension.
To inculcate the love of science and the “wow” factor in scientific experiments to the NIE population, Club Sci·Napse is pleased to begin a new series of workshops where we communicate science into the lives of participants, where they will be involved in interactive hands-on sessions. We are sure that they will be in for a good show.
Club Sci·Napse members were involved in teaching essential science concepts, facilitating the experiments, as well as injecting fun and laughter into the workshop. Participants also got to make their very own ice-cream by using liquid nitrogen. They got to select the ingredients in their sweet delicacies before finishing the product by pouring the cold liquid nitrogen into their mixtures, transforming them into ice cream. Not only were they able to bring their very own flavoured creations home, but they also got the opportunity to explore liquid nitrogen in a number of hands-on experiments and activities.
Liquid Nitrogen experiments - how cool is liquid nitrogen?
To demonstrate the general properties of liquid nitrogen, the following experiments were explored:
1. Balloons (referenced from https://youtu.be/9vRMZSEF_a4)
A fully inflated balloon will be completely deflated when immersed into a basin of liquid nitrogen. Removing it the body of liquid nitrogen will inflate it again! This magic is because of the contraction and expansion of gas!
2. Flower petal crushing (referenced from https://youtu.be/7VGBWytvsZI)
After submerging a bunch of flowers into a tub of liquid nitrogen for 15 seconds, the petals will become ‘crisp’ and will break/crumble easily under the slightest pressure. Our participants had fun playing around with the flowers!
3. Dragon Breath (referenced from https://youtu.be/LMLB_glY53s)
Scooping a handful of mini marshmallows into a beaker of liquid nitrogen for 10 seconds will result in it hardening up considerably. Thereafter, the beaker will be emptied onto a table covered with plastic film. Consume the marshmallows after resting it for 3 seconds and observe the magical wisps of water vapour trapped in the marshmallows leaving your mouth as you breathe out, almost as if you are a dragon!
4. Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream (referenced from https://youtu.be/O-B5TcIF_2U)
To further enhance the workshop experience for participants, facilitators conducted a hands-on activity, which will be held after a demonstration. This activity is based on the tutorial: https://youtu.be/O-B5TcIF_2U. Club Sci·Napse provided different ingredients to allow participants to make their own desired flavour(s) of ice cream. The process of making one bowl of ice cream took about 10 to 15 minutes which they enjoyed after the hands-on session.
