Eli5: How does water expand in a closed container? Shouldn’t it shrink and be compact as it forms into a solid which has tighter molecules?

Question

Context: I was trying to figure out why my coke glass bottle exploded in my freezer.

Update: As it turns out, water is a weird one amongst other liquids.

In: 3

Answer 1

Water is one of very few compounds that expands when it freezes. It expands because the solid crystalline structure has large voids, whereas the liquid form doesn’t.