Is it possible to have water be colder than 32 degrees Fehrenheit and still be a liquid?

Question

Could you super-cool water to where it would be, say, 10 degrees Fehrenheit and still be liquid (with no ice crystals)?

Answer 1

Yes it happens everyday without artificial inducement. Anyone who is a pilot and has flown through clouds when the temperature is below 32 F try very hard to avoid CLEAR ICE. It happens when the airplanes's skin comes in contact with super-cooled water drops that immediately freezes on contact with the wing surface. The constant motion of the water droplet in the cloud allows it to remain as a liquid even below the freezing point of 32F. RIME ice is liquid water with some crystalization in it. It is can be dangerous if you are not equipped to handle it but clear ice can be deadly. That's why we always weather brief and update current conditions enroute.

Here is a website that shows how it forms and to confirm the water droplets remain liquid down to -9C (16 F) to -15C (5F). As you can see, this is way colder than 32 degrees and it is a natural occurance. Liquid water in the clouds that cause dangerous icing can exist down to -7F. This is way below your target of temp of 10 F. What basicly controls the temp at which the super-cooled water can exist as a liquid is the size of the droplet. The smaller it is, the more stable it is as a liquid.

http://www.tpub.com/weather2/5-8.htm

Answer 2

Salt lowers the freezing point (the temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid. Increased pressure usually raises the freezing point.) of water. Normally, water freezes when the temperature reaches about 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). When you mix salt with water you actually lower this freezing point. Salty water will still freeze but the temperature has to be colder than it would for normal water. How much colder? That depends upon how much salt you put in the water. The more salt you add the colder it must get before the water freezes.

Answer 3

Yes! Water can exist in liquid form at temperatures as low as -40 F/C. It is called supercooled water if it is in liquid form and below 32 F. If this was not the case, then snow as we know it would not exist. This is because snow forms in clouds where the temperature is less than 32 degrees F, but the cloud is initially made up almost entirely of supercooled water in liquid form. The very few ice crystals in the cloud cannot grow without the existance of the supercooled liquid water because they grow *at the expense* of the liquid water in a process called the Bergeron Process, because the amount of water vapor needed to saturate air around liquid water is more than the amount needed to saturate the air around ice at the same temperature.

Answer 4

The commonest everyday example of this is on a skating rink. The weight of the skater, supported only by the sharp edge of the skate, creates enough pressure to lower the freezing point to less than the general temperature of the ice rink, which is maybe 30 deg F. The ice then melts under the blade, because it is suddenly above its freezing point, and the water lubricates the skater, then after he is past the water is below its unpressurised freezing point and it solidifies again ready for the next skater.

Answer 5

Impurities in a liquid depress the freezing point. Sea water at 32 degrees Farenheit does not freeze because it contains many minerals (salt, etc.) So yes, you can have water colder than 32 and not freeze. However, PURE water does freeze at 32 F.

Answer 6

I don't know about 10 degrees but pressure has a lot to do with the freezing and evaporation or liquids. So my answer is yes, at a lower pressure than exists at sea level water will not freeze at 32. I wouldn't bet money on it as its been a long time since I took physics.

Answer 7

The water may freeze, or it may supercool, especially if the water is pure and not agitated. Supercooled water, when agitated or presented with an ice crystal, can freeze rapidly. This can put ice in places where you really don't want it, such as on the leading edges of the wings of airplanes. A way to see this: put a bottle of water (or soda) in the freezer for a while, then take it out (before it has frozen) and shake it. -- Robert A. Saunders, Lake Stevens, WA.

Answer 8

Yes.
If water is kept in a (very strong) closed container, filling it completely, it cannot crystallize, because to do so it should increase in volume but the container does not allow it..

Answer 9

Yes; in fact this occurrs in nature every winter. Any lake or pond in a northern climate. The surface freezes solid, but the water below stays liquid - and yes it's temp is below 32.

Answer 10

yes of course and you can cool the water for less than -100F without producing ice, simply by applying proper pressure.