Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: PaulaOR on 19/02/2009 10:30:03

Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: PaulaOR on 19/02/2009 10:30:03: PaulaOR asked the Naked Scientists:

My 7 year old has been asking for a while something I cannot answer:

Why is ice sticky especially when you touch it with wet hands or your tongue?

Thanks, we love your podcasts (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/)!

What do you think?
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: chris on 19/02/2009 12:08:49: This is because when you first pick up the ice cube the heat from your fingers slightly melts the surface of the ice where the two are in contact. But the ice cube is sufficiently cold that as soon as it has robbed your fingertips of their warmth the water that melted initially is re-frozen. And because this water is both on and in your skin and on the ice cube, the ice freezes itself onto your skin, making it seem sticky.

The effect is very pronounced with cold surfaces like metal. If you take something from a cold freezer (such as the -70 C freezes we use in labs) and then touch the surface it's perfectly possible to accidentally take your hand away leaving a handprint behind - in the form of a layer of skin!

Chris
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: neilep on 19/02/2009 12:10:16: oooh Oooh !!

I know this..I know this !!

WELCOME Paula and Paulas son.

When you touch an ice cube with your finger or your tongue the coldness of the ice immediately freezes the moisture on your tongue and finger too and it then sticks to you. Or, (with regard to a finger) the heat from the finger may suddenly melt a little bit of ice but then the ice cube fights back and freezes the water and sticks.

In any case, it's because the finger/tongue has stuck due to moisture freezing on contact !

Hope this helps !

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY !!!
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: neilep on 19/02/2009 12:11:03: DOH !!

My explanation is better !! [;D]
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: neilep on 19/02/2009 12:12:51: This is not fair...I took delivery of my new Super Puter whilst writing my answer and then some bloke jumps the queue...I so wanted to look clever !!

hurrrumpth !!
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Make it Lady on 19/02/2009 18:09:07: I learnt about this the hard way. My Mum used to make ice cream in a metal tin and freeze it for the next day. I sneaked into the kitchen and took the tin out and licked the surface thinking no one would notice. Unfortunately my tongue touched the frozen sides of the metal tin and my tongue froze stuck to the ice-cream. I have heard about getting caught red handed but frozen tongued!
My brother freed me by running the tin and my tongue (still attached) under the cold tap. He will tease me til I die!
You look really clever compared with me Neilep.
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Bored chemist on 19/02/2009 20:59:25: Never lick an iceberg.
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: techmind on 19/02/2009 21:26:37: So why does the advert on this page say "learn Biblical Hebrew"? What keyword triggered that?

(Oops, sorry. First rule of AdSense; you don't talk about AdSense.)
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: techmind on 19/02/2009 21:27:42: My dad said that when he was a child he tried licking the inside of the icebox in the fridge. And stuck his tongue to it. Ouch!
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Karen W. on 19/02/2009 22:28:43: Techmind...

Its probably all the talk about tongues bringing Biblical reference as speaking in tongues is a religious reference and so on and so forth....
different tongues or languages etc.
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 20/02/2009 03:39:42: Mine all seem to have something to do with ice cubes [:)]

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Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 20/02/2009 08:07:14: Quote from: techmind on 19/02/2009 21:26:37
So why does the advert on this page say "learn Biblical Hebrew"? What keyword triggered that?

(Oops, sorry. First rule of AdSense; you don't talk about AdSense.)
Okay, I see what you mean now! [:D]
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Karen W. on 20/02/2009 08:45:12: Quote from: Chemistry4me on 20/02/2009 03:39:42
Mine all seem to have something to do with ice cubes [:)]

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Hummmm..
This topic brings to mind "The Christmas story" Movie!
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Karen W. on 20/02/2009 08:49:45: I Stuck my hand to the inside of a freezer whilst defrosting it... problem was I was using an electric hand held defroster.. I had too try to heat close to my frozen hand because I could not reach the sink for water.. so in an effort to remove my hand I also burned the palm of my hand with the defroster coils while trying to heat up the top of freezer to remove my hand!
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 20/02/2009 10:42:10: Uhh, OUCH!
I often get my tougue stuck on ice-creams [:P][:P]!
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Karen W. on 20/02/2009 14:57:36: Lol..Lol...It is very good! My very favorite is this thick creamy "black" Black licorice ice cream... oh my its soooooo good!
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Make it Lady on 20/02/2009 18:27:05: Anyway I thought ice was icy and a stick was sticky.
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 20/02/2009 22:55:26: (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fcheering%2F1.gif&hash=6728e488f6a57a0c07d0e73171a595ab)(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fcheering%2F1.gif&hash=6728e488f6a57a0c07d0e73171a595ab)(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fclapping%2F2.gif&hash=f3ac90d0f104dd89dbe260c598e013a8)(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fclapping%2F2.gif&hash=f3ac90d0f104dd89dbe260c598e013a8)
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: PaulaOR on 21/02/2009 19:34:48: Thank you all for your clever and funny responses, we thouroughly enjoyed them! Also, my 7-year old wants to make sure you (neilep?)know that she is a girl (Victoria)[::)]!
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Make it Lady on 21/02/2009 21:55:15: Don't mind him, he is a sheep and quite often can't tell the sex of human beings.
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Astronomer_FB on 22/02/2009 14:59:54: Is it the same thing with your lips i do it sometimes for fun i love tricking my little sister that i can make the icecube stick to me.
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 23/02/2009 02:53:50: Eh?
Dude, leave your sister alone! [:0]
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Make it Lady on 23/02/2009 16:46:49: My brothers used to bang my head on the floor whilst tickling my feet. I would have been happy with a simple icecude trick.
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 24/02/2009 07:19:19: Brothers aye? Big brothers?
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Astronomer_FB on 04/03/2009 00:50:14: Quote from: Make it Lady on 23/02/2009 16:46:49
My brothers used to bang my head on the floor whilst tickling my feet. I would have been happy with a simple icecude trick.
lol i beat up my younger brother too. He cries alot but i barely touch him, he envies my sisters torment
Title: Why is ice sticky?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 06/03/2009 04:13:45: Alright, no need to brag about beating your brother! [:)]