Dry ice baths as liquid nitrogen substitutes for physics demonstrations

David Marasco; Paolo Marasco

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arXiv · 2510.09971

Dry ice baths as liquid nitrogen substitutes for physics demonstrations

David Marasco·Paolo Marasco

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Abstract

Liquid nitrogen (LN2) is a long-time favorite for physics demonstrations, with a large repertoire of crowd-pleasing experiments that are cornerstones in outreach efforts. While R1 universities usually have a ready LN2 supply for their Physics, Chemistry, and Biology departments, K-12 and two-year college teachers often have to go to specialty suppliers to obtain LN2, and also need access to expensive storage equipment. Dry ice (solid CO2) is available at many super markets, and as such its suitability as a substitute for LN2 was explored, with the results discussed below. At 77K (-196{\deg}C) LN2 is considerably colder than dry ice at 195K (-78.5{\deg}C), however some demonstrations are still viable.

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David Marasco, Paolo Marasco. 2025-10-11. Dry ice baths as liquid nitrogen substitutes for physics demonstrations. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.09971

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