Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation

Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation

Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...

Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation

Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation

When a non-volatile solute is added to a pure solvent, it results in the lowering of the freezing point of the solvent. This phenomenon is called freezing point depression. The extent to which the freezing point is lowered depends on the molality of the solute -the number of moles of solute per kilogram of solvent and the cryoscopic constant of the solvent.From the plot of chemical potential, μ, against temperature, it is evident that the μ of both solid and liquid solvents decrease...

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...

States of Water

States of Water

Water exists in any one of the three classical states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam or water vapor). The state of water depends on i) the intermolecular forces that draw molecules together and ii) the kinetic energy that leads to movements that pull them apart.
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...

Vapor Pressure Lowering

Vapor Pressure Lowering

The equilibrium vapor pressure of a liquid is the pressure exerted by its gaseous phase when vaporization and condensation are occurring at equal rates:

Phase Diagrams

Phase Diagrams

A phase diagram combines plots of pressure versus temperature for the liquid-gas, solid-liquid, and solid-gas phase-transition equilibria of a substance. These diagrams indicate the physical states that exist under specific conditions of pressure and temperature and also provide the pressure dependence of the phase-transition temperatures (melting points, sublimation points, boiling points). Regions or areas labeled solid, liquid, and gas represent single phases, while lines or curves represent...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same journal

In-silico combinatorial design and pharmacophore modeling of potent antimalarial 4-anilinoquinolines utilizing QSAR and computed descriptors.

SpringerPlus·2017

Same journal

Erratum to: Implication of Paris Agreement in the context of long-term climate mitigation goals.

SpringerPlus·2017

Same journal

Erratum to: Associations between adherence, depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life in young adults with cystic fibrosis.

SpringerPlus·2017

Same journal

Erratum to: Numerical method to compute acoustic scattering effect of a moving source.

SpringerPlus·2017

Same journal

Identifying appropriate protected areas for endangered fern species under climate change.

SpringerPlus·2017

Same journal

An Algorithm to detect balancing of iterated line sigraph.

SpringerPlus·2017

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications

Published on: August 15, 2018

Surface freezing of water.

J L Pérez-Díaz¹, M A Álvarez-Valenzuela², F Rodríguez-Celis³

¹Departamento de Teoría de la Señal, Universidad de Alcalá, EPS, N-II km 33,600, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Spain ; Division of Space Technology, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, Kiruna, Sweden.

|June 23, 2016

Summary

Air humidity exclusively triggers surface freezing of supercooled water. Surface ice crystals form before bulk freezing, with crystal type and freezing point dependent on humidity levels.

More Related Videos

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine

Published on: March 13, 2017

Plunge Freezing: A Tool for the Ultrastructural and Immunolocalization Studies of Suspension Cells in Transmission Electron Microscopy

Plunge Freezing: A Tool for the Ultrastructural and Immunolocalization Studies of Suspension Cells in Transmission Electron Microscopy

Published on: May 5, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications

Published on: August 15, 2018

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine

Published on: March 13, 2017

Plunge Freezing: A Tool for the Ultrastructural and Immunolocalization Studies of Suspension Cells in Transmission Electron Microscopy

Plunge Freezing: A Tool for the Ultrastructural and Immunolocalization Studies of Suspension Cells in Transmission Electron Microscopy

Published on: May 5, 2017

Area of Science:

Physical chemistry
Atmospheric science
Climate science

Background:

Phase transitions of water, including freezing, are fundamental to Earth's climate and life.
Understanding the precise triggers for water phase changes is crucial for climate modeling and prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of air humidity in initiating the surface freezing of supercooled water.
To characterize the formation and properties of surface ice crystals triggered by humidity.

Main Methods:

Experimental observation of supercooled water in an open container under varying humidity conditions.
Microscopic analysis of surface ice crystal formation and symmetry.

Main Results:

Surface freezing of supercooled water is exclusively triggered by ambient air humidity.
Surface ice crystals form prior to bulk freezing, with at least three distinct crystal types observed.
The symmetry and freezing point of surface ice crystals are humidity-dependent.
Humidity exceeding a specific threshold initiates surface freezing by generating multiple nucleation sites.

Conclusions:

Air humidity is the sole determinant for initiating surface freezing in supercooled water.
The phenomenon of humidity-triggered surface ice nucleation has significant implications for understanding water's role in climate and atmospheric processes.