Gatorade's Freezing Point?

[roadtripper]

Hey Everyone,

I was curious if anybody knew the freezing point for the standard gatorade bottles out of the supermarket. A quick search on google didn't help out much.

Thanks!

 

[1ADAM12]

I am guessing it would be close to water at 32 degrees F. But this is just a guess

Well I was able to find this on the NET and I was right its about the same as water.

 

[nartreb]

Yep, from personal experience a bottle of gatorade will freeze more slowly than a bottle of water, but from a practical standpoint there's little difference. Interestingly though, as the water in the Gatorade starts to freeze, the concentration of sugar etc in the remaining liquid goes up (since concentration is relative), so there is a sub-freezing temperature range in which you'll have a slush consisting of (rather pure water) ice crystals and a (concentrated) liquid syrup in the same container. However, the ice crystals tend to bond together (especially on the surface and in the neck of the bottle), so your slush probably won't be drinkable.

 

[jjmcgo]

Where's DougPaul?

According to the label, 8 oz. (240 Ml) of Gatorade contains 14 grams of sugar, 110 mg of sodium and 30 mg of Potassium. One assumes the sodium and potassium are part of chloride salts.
I couldn't find a chart for sugar but a couple of experiments I read indicate to me that the freezing point of Gatorade would be lowered to about 31.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the sugar. Glucose lowers the freezing point nearly twice as much as cane sugar and I think it's glucose in Gatorade.
The much smaller percentage of salts might actually lower the freezing point more.
Regardless of how much salt you place in water, it will freeze at a point no lower than -21 degrees Centigrade, or six below Fahrenheit. Salt re-crystallizes at that temperature and precipitates out of the solution.
I'm no expert on Arrhenius' theory of electrolytic dissociation but I think it means salt is twice as effective as sugar at lowering the freezing point of water.

 

[DougPaul]

According to the label, 8 oz. (240 Ml) of Gatorade contains 14 grams of sugar, 110 mg of sodium and 30 mg of Potassium. One assumes the sodium and potassium are part of chloride salts.
I couldn't find a chart for sugar but a couple of experiments I read indicate to me that the freezing point of Gatorade would be lowered to about 31.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the sugar. Glucose lowers the freezing point nearly twice as much as cane sugar and I think it's glucose in Gatorade.
The much smaller percentage of salts might actually lower the freezing point more.
Regardless of how much salt you place in water, it will freeze at a point no lower than 21 degrees Centigrade, or six below Fahrenheit. Salt re-crystallizes at that temperature and precipitates out of the solution.
I'm no expert on Arrhenius' theory of electrolytic dissociation but I think it means salt is twice as effective as sugar at lowering the freezing point of water.

My notes on electolytes show Gatorade to be:
1 liter water 1000 gram
Carbs (mostly sugars sucrose and dextrose) 64 gram
Na 470 mg
K 128 mg
Source: ? (probably package or website)

My numbers are about the same as yours except for the sugar type. In any case, the freezing point depression at drinkable concentrations is minimal, although, as natreb notes, the concentrations and freezing point depression will increase with partial freezing. (But under these conditions, drinking the first bit might actually be dehydrating...)

BTW, your temp C not equal to temp F. Perhaps you mean -21C = -6F ?

Doug

 

[Mongoose]

From experience I find it turns to slush then freezes a little below the freezing point. It's hard to really determine though. Either way, drinking frozen slushy gatorade isn't a good idea, it'll drop your corp body temp quickly.

 

[John Graham]

I have found that drinking hot electrolyte drinks can be most beneficial in winter, but I prefer Hydralite (Gookinaide) to Gatoraide, as it is less sweet. I carry the foil drink mix packets and mix it up as needed, carrying hot water in a thermos or insulated bottle cover. I also have found that carrying the bottles on the outside of the pack, even in insulated covers, makes them get cold much quicker. Wrapped in a down jacket next to your back in the pack, they will stay warm much longer.

 

[DougPaul]

Either way, drinking frozen slushy gatorade isn't a good idea, it'll drop your corp body temp quickly.

I wouldn't be concerned if you are moving and generating sufficient excess heat. Just drink it slowly.

If you are already chilly, then you may have a difficult trade-off between heat loss and dehydration. If you must drink under these conditions, drink the cold liquid, not the ice crystals. (It takes additional heat energy to melt the ice.)

Doug