Ok so I have alcohol in my car and it's about 10 degrees Fahrenheit out... it's in glass bottles, and it just occurred to me that if water expands when it freezes, does alcohol do that too? I don't wanna be driving tomorrow and have my car be reeking of alcohol because it leaked out in my trunk.
2007-02-19 13:58:02 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
Alcohol does not expand when it freezes...water is unique like that. HOWEVER (and this is a big one), beer is only 5(ish) percent alcohol which leaves the remaining 95(ish) percent to be water. This not only just slightly lowers the freezing temperature, but leaves 95 percent of the liquid in the bottle to freeze and expand and very likely go BOOM!!!
Wine runs around 11-15% and has a bit lower freezing temperature, slightly less volume of water in the total volume of the bottle, and is therefore less likely (not guaranteed, mind you) to freeze...BUT STILL POSSIBLE.
Hard liquor...40% alcohol, for example, will not freeze at 10F...that I can guarantee. The alcohol content is sufficiently high that it will be effective in preventing freezing to around -90F. The freezing temperature of 100% ethanol is -173 F and it's roughly linear to 0% alcohol (pure water) freezing at 32 F
2007-02-19 15:45:51 · answer #1 · answered by Trid 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Technically yes, it will expand. Unless you are drinking pure rubbing alcohol (100% alcohol), there is at least SOME water in the drink. This will cause it to expand.
Despite popular belief, alcohol will freeze. It just has to be super cold. Colder than your freezer can reach. EVERYTHING freezes into a solid eventually, even oxygen. Wrap your head around that, solid oxygen.
Back to your question. Don't be afraid of your car smelling like alcohol. Unless you live in Antarctica, it won't get cold enough for the alcohol to freeze and bust the bottle.
2007-02-19 15:23:17 · answer #2 · answered by rawlings12345 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Beer, wine, and champagne will definitely freeze and then explode when you open them.
Hard liquor usually will not freeze because it has a higher alcohol content.
I can't count the number of times I have accidentally left bottles of champagne or beer in my freezer (after trying to get them cold quickly) only to open the freezer the next day to a mess of beer/champagne slush.
You really shouldn't leave beer or champagne in your car in extreme temperatures. I once even had a corked bottle of wine explode in my car because I left it there overnight in the middle of the summer. It got too hot inside the car, and the corked exploded....wine got all over my car and it was a big mess.
Anyway, beer and wine/champagne will definitely freeze, expand, and explode. Best not to leave them in super-cold temps for too long.
2007-02-20 03:47:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
liquor doesn't freeze solid like water it just gets a little syrupy, now beer or wine do expand because of the low alcohol content
2007-02-19 14:08:16 · answer #4 · answered by murduk0420 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Easy. It expands becuase of its emergent properties such as cohesiveness,adhesivness, hydrogen bonding.
2016-05-24 18:32:51 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
liquor...no. beer ...yes
2007-02-19 14:05:01 · answer #6 · answered by pamcake 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋