Does Ice Float in Alcohol?
In pure ethanol, no: ice sinks. USGS says ice is about 90% as dense as liquid water, while CDC NIOSH lists the specific gravity of ethyl alcohol as 0.79, lighter than ice. In a mixed drink the result depends on how much water is in it.
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USGS says that on freezing, water’s density falls by about 9 percent, so ice is roughly 90 percent as dense as liquid water. That is why it floats on water.
The CDC NIOSH pocket guide gives ethyl alcohol a specific gravity of 0.79, meaning it is about 79 percent as dense as water. It also lists a freezing point of -173 degrees F.
What follows (our calculation)
Compare about 0.90 for ice with 0.79 for pure ethanol: ice is the denser one, so it sinks in pure alcohol. With a freezing point of -173 degrees F, ethanol will not freeze in a home freezer.
What about drinks?
Water and alcohol mixtures fall between the two figures. We found no official table of mixture densities, so we give no cut-off strength. Ice floats in plain water and is normally seen floating in mixed drinks, which are mostly water, but very strong spirits can behave differently.
- Melting ice dilutes the drink and lowers its strength.
- Use the standard drink calculator to see how much alcohol your glass holds.
People also ask
Does ice sink in vodka?
We found no official source on this. Vodka is about 40% alcohol by volume (NIAAA), so it is a mix of alcohol and water.
Why does ice float on water?
USGS explains that water molecules in ice form a lattice that spreads them out, so ice is about 90 percent as dense as liquid water.
What is the density of ethanol?
CDC NIOSH lists a specific gravity of 0.79 for ethyl alcohol, compared with 1 for water.
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