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by notmrjohn on March 20th, 2006
The simple answer is that water expands when it freezes. Since the soda is around 99.9% water, there is not enough room in the can when the soda freezes and expands. Sumpins gotta give and it is the thin aluminum that gives, usually just a split along a seam but sometimes a sudden 'catastrophic failure' and there can be a 'splosion.' Even a small split can make a mess, the pressure of the soda itself and the added pressure as it freezes can spew soda all over, if the pressure is not so great the soda sorta oozes out slowly enough to freeze, creating some interesting sculptures on the can. You can lick the sculpture like a popsicle, don't get your tongue stuck on the can.
Plastic bottles have a slight amount of stretch, but are weaker than a can, they make really great explosive messes since they usually burst while there is more liquid available to blow all thru the freezer. That expansion of freezing water is why you should never use glass containers in a freezer, the growing ice will break them. If you get the can just before it bursts and while there is still some liquid you can open it and have a sorta Cold Volcano Slushy as the pressure pushes half melted soda out, that's a good way to make a mess too.
For the best soda explosion, get behind some thick protection and have some idiot put a closed can of soda in a fire. Boiling hot sticky soda and hot aluminum shrapnel will fly everywhere, burning, maiming, maybe killing any one in its path. That's why you get another idiot to video tape the whole thing while you hunker in the bunker with an ice cold expanded cola.
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Comments
Sorry, soda is NOT 99.9% water. The sugar,caramel color, acids, sodium, acek..cant possibly take only .1% of the drink!
by davoomac on May 6th, 2006
OK so I was .9% off. The American Beverage Association sez on its web page that some "soft drinks may contain up to 99 percent water."
Besides I'm in Texas where we don't use the word 'soda' unless we mean soda, that is pure soda water, or carbonated water as it is also called, nuthin but water and about .1% sodium salts and Carbon Dioxide. In Texas it's all coke unless it's Dr. Pepper.
by notmrjohn on August 20th, 2008