Walking in a polar vortex land

After having snow storms covering terrains across the country, people then were forced to endure face-numbing temperatures of around 9 degrees Fahrenheit in the current polar vortex. With these true winter temperatures, chemistry students across the nation have been bestowed with the perfect opportunity to observe changes in states of matter! Don't worry, the first thing I think about when I see snow is not "Woo changes in states of matter," but I'm honestly disappointed I didn't perform these cool experiments! Get it? Cool? Even these frigid temperatures can't stop me from making puns!

Anyway the first experiment was conducting using bubbles from household soap. Bubbles in liquid form are entertaining enough, but these bubbles have been frozen in the cold temperatures taking bubbles to a new level of awesome!

Find more pictures in the article: http://distractify.com/culture/arts/frozen-bubbles-in-wintertime/ Though the article didn't explain this, I think my understanding of the states of matter is good enough to explain this process. The bubbles began in the form of a liquid in the bottle. Liquids are defined by molecules that are less orderly than solids which can also flow past each other allowing liquids to take the shape of any container they are placed in. Once this bubble was created, all molecules were exposed to the cold air. This change in heat caused the molecules to move closer together until they froze creating the pictures above. 

The next experiment I actually observed during my lunch period in school. So ha! High school kids really do care about changes in states of matter, they just don't know it! In this experiment, water is boiled or heated and then tossed high in the air. Look at pictures provided and described in this article: http://www.chicagonow.com/new-abides/2014/01/what-happens-when-you-throw-boiling-water-into-freezing-air/ 

Yes, this experiment isn't just about tossing water into the air. The changes it undergoes in the air is what is really observed! Once tossed from the container, the water now has a greater surface area than it did in the container. This greater surface area allows more water molecules to come in contact with the cold air allowing the water to change into ice crystals or snow, if you prefer. Please do not try this at home, for it may be shocking, but people have obtained injuries while conducting this experiment. How, you may ask? Stupidity. Well to elaborate, some people tossing the hot water into the air did not predict its trajectory causing the boiling water to land on them! The shock these people probably received when they were covered in not snow but instead boiling water! That must have been awkward explaining to the doctor. "So how did you get these burns?" "I threw boiling water on myself..." 

Though these experiments are not revealing ground-breaking discoveries in science, they are sparking interest everywhere! As a student of chemistry, I can personally say it's more interesting learning about a topic while performing experiments such as these. Even with chemistry labs, like the dehydration of sugar using sulfuric acid, kids will be more motivated to learn about it because explosions and these reactions are cool! It's because of these experiments which plant a curiosity in us which ultimately lead people to pursuing why and how these reactions happen continuously building upon common knowledge of science. But please do not toss boiling water on yourself in the process. Science is not that desperate.