[Rob (OP)]

If I were outside on a very cold day and blowing soap bubbles for entertainment would it be possible for any of those bubbles to freeze before they hit the ground and break like glass?  My wife saw this in a cartoon and asked me if it was possible.  I would think that the formation of ice crystals would weaken the integrity of the bubble and make it pop before it froze.  Anyone have any insights into this?

Rob

[lightarrow]

If I were outside on a very cold day and blowing soap bubbles for entertainment would it be possible for any of those bubbles to freeze before they hit the ground and break like glass?  My wife saw this in a cartoon and asked me if it was possible.  I would think that the formation of ice crystals would weaken the integrity of the bubble and make it pop before it froze.  Anyone have any insights into this?

Rob

It's an interesting question. I would tend to agree with you, even because the air pressure inside the bubble, greater than atmospheric pressure, is not compensated by the surface tension of the liquid anylonger, so the freezed bubble should explode.

[RD]

implode ...

At temperatures below about −25 °C (−13 °F), bubbles will freeze in the air and may shatter when hitting the ground. When, at this low temperature, a bubble is blown with warm breath, the bubble will freeze to an almost perfect sphere at first, but when the warm air cools and thus is reduced in volume there will be a partial collapse of the bubble. A bubble, blown successfully at this low temperature, will always be rather small in size: it will freeze quickly and continuing to blow will shatter the bubble.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_bubble