No Image Available
Visual representation of dry ice
Industrial/Chemical Product
Updated July 23, 2025
Dry ice
Dry ice freezes things super fast and creates spooky fog effects. It’s solid carbon dioxide that skips the liquid stage.
Category
Industrial/Chemical Product
Use Case
Used for cooling, freezing, or creating fog effects in various applications.
Variants
Pellets, Blocks, Slices
Key Features
-
Extremely cold temperature preservation
-
Sublimates directly into gas
-
Non toxic cleaning agent
-
Creates dense fog effects
-
Long lasting cooling capability
In Simple Terms
What it is
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, the same gas we exhale when we breathe. Unlike regular ice, which melts into water, dry ice turns directly into a cold gas (a process called sublimation). This makes it "dry" because it doesn’t leave any liquid behind. It’s extremely cold (-109°F or -78°C), so you should never touch it with bare hands—it can freeze your skin instantly!
Why people use it
Dry ice is super useful because it keeps things much colder than regular ice and doesn’t make a mess. Since it doesn’t melt into water, it’s perfect for situations where moisture would ruin things, like shipping food or preserving medical supplies. It’s also used for fun effects, like creating fog for parties or Halloween decorations.
Basic examples
Here are some everyday ways dry ice helps:
Keeping food cold: Shipping companies use dry ice to transport frozen foods, like ice cream or seafood, so they stay fresh without getting soggy.
Medical storage: Vaccines and lab samples need to stay ultra-cold, and dry ice does the job without electricity.
Special effects: When dropped in water, dry ice creates thick, spooky fog—perfect for concerts, haunted houses, or science experiments.
Cleaning: Blasting dry ice pellets can clean machinery by freezing and lifting away dirt, like a super-powered eraser.
Remember, dry ice is handy but requires caution—always handle it with gloves and use it in well-ventilated areas since the gas can be harmful in large amounts.
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, the same gas we exhale when we breathe. Unlike regular ice, which melts into water, dry ice turns directly into a cold gas (a process called sublimation). This makes it "dry" because it doesn’t leave any liquid behind. It’s extremely cold (-109°F or -78°C), so you should never touch it with bare hands—it can freeze your skin instantly!
Why people use it
Dry ice is super useful because it keeps things much colder than regular ice and doesn’t make a mess. Since it doesn’t melt into water, it’s perfect for situations where moisture would ruin things, like shipping food or preserving medical supplies. It’s also used for fun effects, like creating fog for parties or Halloween decorations.
Basic examples
Here are some everyday ways dry ice helps:
Remember, dry ice is handy but requires caution—always handle it with gloves and use it in well-ventilated areas since the gas can be harmful in large amounts.
Technical Details
What It Is
Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO?), a colorless, odorless gas naturally present in Earth's atmosphere. It is categorized as a cryogenic material due to its extremely low temperature of -78.5°C (-109.3°F). Unlike regular ice, dry ice does not melt into a liquid but sublimates directly from a solid to a gas.
How It Works
Dry ice functions through sublimation, a phase transition where a solid turns directly into a gas without passing through the liquid phase. This process occurs because the atmospheric pressure is too low for liquid CO? to exist under normal conditions. The cold temperature and rapid sublimation make dry ice highly effective for cooling and freezing applications.
The technology behind dry ice production involves compressing and cooling gaseous CO? until it liquefies, then rapidly expanding it to form snow-like solid CO?. This "snow" is then compressed into blocks, pellets, or slices for commercial use.
Key Components
The primary component of dry ice is carbon dioxide, typically sourced as a byproduct of industrial processes like ammonia production or fermentation. No additional chemicals or additives are required, making it a pure and simple substance.