Never put soda in the freezer, beware of explosion!

Audit expert: Luo Huachun

Editor-in-Chief of Cities and Disaster Reduction

As the temperature continues to rise, cold soda is becoming people's favorite again.

Some friends always feel that adding ice cubes to room temperature soda is not satisfying enough, and hope to make the soda cooler, so they put the whole bottle or can of soda into the freezer of the refrigerator to cool it down.

Little did they know that when they were happily looking forward to drinking the refreshing soda and ice, danger had already quietly approached - bang! The soda in the refrigerator exploded!

Source: Chongqing Communist Youth League

Danger! Ice soda turns into a bomb

If you read carefully, you will see a clear reminder on the outer packaging of the soda, which is "Do not heat or freeze it below 0℃."

Why is this?

Water itself has the property of "expanding when cold and shrinking when hot". Under standard atmospheric pressure, the freezing point of water is 0℃, and when 0℃ water turns into ice, its volume will increase by about 1/9, so the volume of soda will expand rapidly, sometimes even causing the can to deform and rupture.

Source: Sohu

The deformation of the tank body does not pose a great threat, but if an explosion occurs, it may be dangerous. The key reason for the explosion is the pressure difference.

Since soda contains a lot of carbon dioxide, it is dissolved in water by applying high pressure during the production process. This carbon dioxide exists in the form of carbonic acid. When we open the bottle cap or shake the bottle, the carbonic acid decomposes due to the pressure reduction or vibration, and the carbon dioxide is released from the beverage, forming a lot of bubbles, which makes us feel very refreshed.

However, the freezing point of carbon dioxide is relatively low, so when a carbonated beverage rich in carbon dioxide is placed in a freezer, it does not freeze immediately but remains in liquid form. As the temperature decreases, the solubility of carbon dioxide in water increases, causing the pressure in the can to decrease. But when the liquid is partially frozen, the solubility of carbon dioxide in ice decreases, and it will be squeezed out of the frozen carbonated beverage in the form of gas, which will greatly increase the pressure in the can.

Source: Wikipedia

Depending on the can's bearing capacity and the changes in internal pressure, the following three situations may occur: First, the can cannot withstand the pressure of the internal gas and explodes directly in the refrigerator; second, the can is strong enough and will explode only after the Coke is completely frozen and its volume increases because it cannot withstand the pressure; third, when the Coke is in a semi-solid and semi-liquid state, if we directly open the bottle cap, the gas wrapped in solid or liquid will gush out instantly.

Therefore, to be safe, we should avoid freezing soda in the freezer .

Source: Baidu

How to drink ice soda safely?

According to media reports, a boy in Shanghai took a can of frozen Coke out of the refrigerator and when he tried to open it, it suddenly exploded. Due to the huge force of the gas released instantly, the ring of the Coke can instantly scratched the child's face, causing a wound deep into the cheek. In the end, the boy had to go to the hospital for treatment and had 38 stitches on his face.

Source: Tencent

Perhaps you may have this question: I saw with my own eyes that carbonated drinks were put into the freezer in the shopping mall. Is this wrong?

In fact, when refrigerating carbonated drinks, merchants usually set the refrigerator temperature at 2°C to ensure that the drinks remain cool. Sometimes, in order to speed up the cooling process, merchants may briefly put the soda in the freezer or lower the temperature a little, but then take it out again.

However, consumers often lack the experience of controlling the freezing time and tend to forget to take it out in time, which may lead to safety hazards. Therefore, we do not recommend storing soda in the freezer for a long time.

If you crave frozen soda, it is recommended that you pour the drink into an open container before freezing it. This will not only make it easier to freeze the drink to a frozen state, but also ensure the safety of the entire process.

Source: Baidu

Although iced soda is good, safety is more important. Remember! Do not keep soda frozen for a long time to avoid potential safety hazards. While enjoying the coolness, you must also ensure the safety of yourself and your family.