Cool Dry Ice Projects

Cool Dry Ice Fog

One of the simplest yet coolest things to do with dry ice is to toss a chunk of it into a container of hot water. This causes the dry ice to sublimate (turn into vapor) more quickly, producing dry ice fog. This is a popular party effect. It's even more spectacular if you have a lot of dry ice and a lot of water, such as enough dry ice to fill a hot tub.

Dry Ice Crystal Ball

Place a piece of dry ice in a bowl or cup containing a bubble solution. Wet a towel with bubble solution and pull it across the lip of the bowl, trapping carbon dioxide into a giant bubble that resembles a crystal ball.

Make Your Own Dry Ice

Some grocery stores sell dry ice, but many don't. If you can't find any dry ice, the first cool thing to do is to make some yourself.

Frozen Soap Bubble

Freeze a soap bubble over a piece of dry ice. The bubble will appear to float in the air over the dry ice. You can pick up the bubble and examine it.

Inflate a Balloon With Dry Ice

Seal a small piece of dry ice inside a balloon. As the dry ice sublimates, the balloon will fill up. If your piece of dry ice is too big, the balloon will pop!

Inflate a Glove With Dry Ice

Similarly, you can put a piece of dry ice into a latex or other plastic glove and tie it closed. The dry ice will inflate the glove.

Simulate a Comet

You can use simple materials to simulate a comet. In a big plastic bowl lined with a trash bag, mix together:

• 1 liter water
• 2 cups dirt
• 1 tablespoon starch (holds comet together, not found in real comets)
• 1 tablespoon syrup (comet organic component)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (for amino acids)
• 1 tablespoon rubbing alcohol (like the methanol in real comets)

Dry Ice Bomb

Sealing dry ice in a container will cause it to burst. The safest version of this is to place a small piece of dry ice into a plastic film canister or potato chip can with a pop lid.

Dry Ice Erupting Volcano Cake

While you can't eat dry ice, you can use it as a decoration for food. In this project, dry ice produces a volcanic eruption for a volcano cake.

Spooky Dry Ice Jack-o'-Lantern

Make a cool Halloween jack-o'-lantern that spews dry ice fog.

Cool Dry Ice Bubbles

Place a piece of dry ice into a bubble solution. Fog-filled bubbles will form. Popping them releases dry ice fog, which is a cool effect.

Carbonated Dry Ice Ice Cream

You can use dry ice to make instant ice cream. Because carbon dioxide gas is released, the resulting ice cream is bubbly and carbonated, sort of like an ice cream float.

Singing Spoon

Press a spoon or any metal object against a piece of dry ice and it will appear to sing or scream as it vibrates.

Carbonated Fizzy Fruit

Freeze strawberries or other fruit using dry ice. Carbon dioxide bubbles become trapped in the fruit, making it fizzy and carbonated.