How to Make Instant Soda Slurpies
I knew that water could be turned into instant ice and bended at will, but was amazed to see that soda could be supercooled as well.
Warning: Leaving soda in the freezer too long can result in failure of the container, and a big mess. Glass bottles are not recommended, as the ice expands when freezing and can shatter the glass explosively. Use of video content is at own risk.
The anomaly of "self freezing soda" has been observed by many people, usually by accident. Some people put a soda in the freezer to chill it, but then forget about it. When they've remembered and gone to get it, it's liquid until they open it, leaving them puzzled. Some have noticed the effect by leaving the soda outside in cold temperatures.
There is a vending machine in Hong Kong that sells supercooled Coke bottles, and the instructions to trigger nucleation is the same as in this video. However, they recommend taking a sip when the cap is on. I believe this is to increase the chances of impurities being introduced into the liquid, making nucleation more likely.
From what I've seen, the results in this experiment form an even thicker slush than the vending machine in Hong Kong
To get this effect, I shook up and put 4 bottles of 500mL (16.9 oz) soda in a freezer set at -24ºC (-11ºF) between 3¼ to 4 hours. The longer they're in, the more dramatic and solid the slushy freeze will be. However, anytime longer than 3 hours and 15 minutes, there's a chance of them freezing before you take them out.
Shaking the up increases the pressure in the bottle, and actually lowers the freezing point a little.
Every freezer will be a little different temperature, and I've noticed the location of your bottles in the freezer makes a dramatic difference on freeze times. For best results, choose one consistent location in your freezer, and play around with freeze times to see what works best for you. In my freezer, the middle of the center rack settles at -24ºC (-11ºF) and takes 3:15 to super chill 4 bottles.
Remember that the longer the freezer door is open, the more cold air will escape, and it will make your freeze times take much longer because your freezer has to cool down again. I've also noticed that the more frozen items you have in your freezer, the faster your soda will chill. In contrast, the less items in your freezer, the longer your soda will take to cool. Bottom line is, use a consistent environment for your experiments, and you'll get consistent results!