Ice melting products, ranging from traditional rock salt to more sophisticated blends, are indispensable in keeping roads and parking lots safe from winter hazards. But how do these chemicals work to transform snow and ice into water? This simple chemistry project will help students understand what happens to the chemical properties of a water molecule when it is melted.
The first step is to find a container and add some water to fill it to the top, about 10 milliliters (mL). Then have each team take a temperature reading with a thermometer. Have them note the reading and then pour the same amount of cooler water over each ice cube. Let the ice cube melt for about 5 to 10 minutes and then return to the thermometer and note the new reading. Was the ice cube in the cooler water able to melt faster than the ice cube that was poured with warmer water?
The answer lies in the molecular energy of the water. When ice has enough energy, it will vibrate at an atomic level and cause the hydrogen bonds between water molecules to break. This gives the ice molecules more freedom to move around and they can actually get closer together, becoming a liquid instead of an icy solid. When this process occurs, it is called phase equilibrium. The point at which ice melts into liquid water is called the melting point, or 0 degrees Celsius.