# Preserve Your Bubbles (DD-326)

> When a soap bubble is blown in air well below freezing, the thin water film begins to freeze. Ice crystals form and spread across the surface in branching patterns, swirled by currents in the film, until the bubble becomes a fragile frozen shell. Very low temperatures help the whole bubble freeze before it pops. The footage shows bubbles freezing outdoors on a snowy day.

- Department: Science (also Nature)
- First published: 2024-09-20
- Last updated: 2024-09-20
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/preserve-your-bubbles/
- Original Reel title: Preserve Your Bubbles 🫧
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## Quick facts

- **DD-326-F01**: A bubble is a thin water film. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Film))_
- **DD-326-F02**: The film freezes in deep cold. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (Freezing))_

## Write-up

In deep cold, a soap bubble can freeze into a crystal shell. Ice crystals spread across the film like ferns.

1. **Film**: A bubble is a thin water film.
2. **Freezing**: The film freezes in deep cold.
3. **Crystals**: Ice crystals spread across it.
4. **Shell**: It becomes a frozen shell.
5. **Cold**: Lower temperatures help.

## Related case files

- [Bubble Blowing (DD-479)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/bubble-blowing/): I linked more bubbles
- [Sudsy (DD-345)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/sudsy/): I linked more soap bubbles

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: None needed.

## Video: Preserve Your Bubbles: In Deep Cold, a Soap Bubble Can Freeze Into a Crystal Shell

- Duration: 26.3 s · Published: 2024-09-20
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DAIBbAJuPiX.mp4

### Transcript

Did you know, when soap bubbles freeze, the process begins as the outer layer of water in the bubble starts to crystallize due to the cold temperature. As the air inside the bubble is warmer than the surrounding environment, the freezing typically starts at the bubble's thinnest points. Ice crystals form in intricate patterns and spread across the surface, creating a delicate frozen shell. The soap film helps to slow the freezing process, allowing you to observe the crystallization as it moves through the bubble. If the temperature is low enough, the entire bubble can freeze solid before popping. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What is a bubble's skin?**  
A: Very thin. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Film) · Wikipedia: Soap bubble)_

**Q: What forms on it in the cold?**  
A: Branching. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Freezing) · Wikipedia: Soap bubble)_

**Q: What helps a bubble freeze fully?**  
A: Before popping. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Crystals) · Wikipedia: Ice crystal)_

**Q: What does it become?**  
A: Fragile. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Shell) · Wikipedia: Soap bubble)_

**Q: What patterns form?**  
A: Crystal growth. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Cold) · Wikipedia: Soap bubble)_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Soap bubble](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_bubble)
- [Wikipedia: Ice crystal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_crystal)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Preserve Your Bubbles." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-326, last updated Sep 20, 2024. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/preserve-your-bubbles/