Using saltpetre for cooling drinks (2013)

Re:Using saltpetre for cooling drinks (2013) by masklinn on Sunday August 28, 2022 @03:32PM (#32631303)

FWIW the dissolution of table salt in water is also endothermic, though to a much lower extent than saltpeter: the enthalpy of solution for saltpeter is +34.9kJ/mol, for table salt it's +3.87.

An other option is ammonium nitrate at +25.69, though you might also have trouble with terrorism regulations as it's both a common fertiliser and a component for explosives.

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Re:Using saltpetre for cooling drinks (2013) by nibbleshifter on Sunday August 28, 2022 @06:19PM (#32632624)

I often will use salt in ice baths specifically for that reason :)

Ammonium nitrate used to be uses in the "instant ice/cold packs" for first aid, but has since been replaced with urea - I believe due to the terrorism regulations.

Which means (as another poster suggested) I'll be trying urea as a way to chill drinks sometime soon I guess.

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Re:Using saltpetre for cooling drinks (2013) by hoseja on Monday August 29, 2022 @06:19AM (#32636485)

I think the reason for saline cooling baths is that the liquid stays liquid at lower temperature, not any additional cooling from dissolving the salt.

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