Using dry ice to cool

[gozetec02]

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. Its cold because the freezing point of carbon dioxide is -190F. Carbon dioxide has a very large Solid to liquid and a quick liquid to gas ratio. When dry ice warms up it turns directly into a gas instead of water hence "dry ice". The best way to have fun with dry ice is to put it in the sink filled with water but be careful to have some ventilation because it is carbon dioxide and could knock you out from lack of oxygen.

[Smulkin]

Maybe the freezer has an exhaust - or some other form of air-circ system so it depletes itself faster? Compared to a cooler or closed plastic where it can get CO2 saturated? OK that was an awful stab in the dark - no hopes of the Hardy Boys Award this year fo me.

[Eddie_Z]

why did you run hot water on it for four hours? that seems like such a waste of water

LOL My mistake for a poor explanation! The water was NOT running for four hours!! We ran some hot water on it a couple of times just to see how cool it looks when it has hot water put on it but we didn't run the hot water for anywhere near four hours. After having fun with it for a few minutes using the hot water, it then took about four hours or so to dissappear. Sorry for the misunderstanding Freak!

[JLC]

You may be right, Smulkin. Maybe it is the saturation of CO2 in small spaces that keeps it from evaporating too fast...whereas in my freezer, the gas was able to escape fast enough to let the stuff "melt".

*places a Hardy Boys sticker on your shirt* .... "A" for effort!