Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-08-16
TO THE EDITORS
PHENOMENA OF FREEZING WATER.

H. ast Il
Il is generally believed and taught BY philosophers thai
wer when freezing is an exception to the universal law Of
nurs that all bodies contract when they lose heat and thai
h immense expansive force which ice in its formation
is owing to the effort which the crystals make arrange
themselves into crystalline That both these opinions
arp erroneous will appear from the following facts:
Water FIRST cools the surface, and, becoming specifically
heavier than the warmer below, sinks to the bottom,
where crystals are first formed These crystals unite into
shan masses which rise and float on the surface because,
uniting they form nnumerable minute pores, either too
snail for water to enter or, probably, filled with air
which prevents its entrance These pores may be plainly
pesceyed BY very powerful microscope and to them is
doubt owing the fact that Of ice is lighter than equal
volume Of water but this furnishes evidence that icaer
does NOT contract sezing for there may be, (and the fol-
lowing consideration will show think that there ID, less
solid matter in mass Of ice than in the volume Of
water.
Water NAV be cooled gradually 22o Fahrenheit hemom-
eer or iOo below the freezing point without any manifestation
Of conseIaon, and il then shaken, fourth part Of il in
stanty turns to ice and nstantaneousy the whole
y Of ice and water rise TO 32o which is the freezing point
Now the fourteen parts have received loo EACH Of sensible
heat by the bare act Of freezing tina, Is 10 1O=l4o0
Of ls.en. hea. Casually called caoc has become sensible
and this quantity the ice receive again. and render la
tent before it becomes water for when melted, the water
stands al 32o Again. take quantity Of ice ct tho
Of 32o and mix il with equal quantity Of water
1t l72o the instantly me and the temperature Of the
mixture Is only $50. Here the water is cooled 1902 while
the temperature Of the increased all and l40o
Of hes, have consequently been rendered latent In the
manner BY numerousy varied experiment. Dr. Black proved
(rst l762 that when ice Melted l40o Of sensible heat
are converted into the caoc stae and when water is
ved into ice, hs same quantity Of caloc is again thrown
off and becomes sensible.
These facts concIusvey prove that water does expand
freezing, and therefore exception to the universal law
that all bodies shrink ,oh tie loss of heat All water
tsns air and whether this great quantity Of heat sudden
developed, expands that air. converts quantity Of the
water into sesm expands itself when becomes sensible,
20 to give for the crystals Of ice arrange themselves
into crystalline ID not necessary at present to in
qure il perhsps be ascer,aned. Certain it is that
other Of these repe the crystals Of ice and bursts
the vessel containing them, for their aggregate constitutes
porous and any kind Of salts such salt Of tartar
nie, &C., be dissolved in closely vessel will no.
crystalline till the pressure Of the air contained in the vessels
be removed BY uncorking it.
The Forentne acsdemicans enclosed cubic inch Of water
in brass globe and then oze the by exposing the
globe to intense cold The globe burst and Muschenbroeck
calculated hathe repuve force the ice must bave
been equivalent to pressure Of a7720 pounds and this
pressure Of nearly fourteen tons still attributed
to the force exerted BY comparatively few fragile crystals
formed in q cubic inch Of water.