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Description
The Freezing Spell is a fun one to pass off as a wizarding feat. A supersaturated solution of sodium acetate trihydrate is nucleated with seed crystals that the demonstrator has cleverly hidden on the tip of his/her middle finger. When the fingers are snapped over the open throat of the flask that holds the solution, a snowy hemisphere of crystallization grows over the next 10 seconds. The flask can then be inverted to show that it is now solid. The flask has also gone from room temperature to a nice handwarmer temperature of about 120oF due to the heat of fusion being released. This trick is a natural gateway to talking about the unique structure that water molecules adopt as they freeze into ice. A guide to how snowflakes grow is presented.
Publication Date
10-2025
Document Type
Book Chapter
Rights
© 2025 Garon C. Smith
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Smith, Garon C., "Chapter 3: The Freezing Spell" (2025). G. Wiz’s Book of Spells. 5.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/gwizchemistrymagic/5