If matter generally expands when it is heated, then why does a can of soda explode when left in the freezer?

Question

I am definitely not a science person, so this may be a really obvious/dumb question, but I don’t get it. My understanding was that most things expanded when heated, but sodas/beers seem to expand violently when they’re frozen. Can someone explain this like I’m five?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

To add on a little, this due to how water molecules arrange themselves when frozen. They form a sort of crystalline lattice that ends up having a lot of space in between, which is why ice is less dense. However that does happen until a very specific point right before it freezes. I don’t remember exactly where this is, it’s like, four Celsius or something, but water does actually contract like you’d expect, right up until that point.

Answer 2

Water is a very interesting chemical. When liquid the molecules of H2O can move around freely whereas, when solid, the molecules are held in place by intermolecular forces. As a liquid the molecules are able to be close together but when it decreases in temperature those intermolecular forces hold the molecules apart. Water is most dense at about 4 degrees Celsius. Any hotter and the water expands, any colder and the forces hold molecules apart.

Answer 3

Soda and beer are predominantly water. Water has this weird property that when frozen, it’s crystal structure is less dense than its liquid form. This is why Ice floats in water. So, as the soda freezes, it expands until it stops freezing.

Answer 4

Water is one of the rare substances that expands when frozen. Soda, obviously, is primarily water and so it will expand in the freezer, along with any other liquid that is primarily water.

Answer 5

[Anomalous behavior of water](https://phys.org/news/2018-03-strange-behavior.html)

Water contracts upto 4 degC when cooled (like any normal liquid). Cooling it below 4 degree C, it expands.

Answer 6

Water is an exception to the rule; when water freezes into ice it gets less dense (which is why ice floats in water, that wouldn’t work with say, a steel bar in a vat of liquid steel). It does this because it’s a very polar molecule, so when you take energy out by freezing it and slowing molecules down, the magnetic repulsion of individual molecules is enough to force them to spread out more than.