Physicists crack science of ice formation
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - 10:30
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org)—Salt—and just about anything else that dissolves in water, which is called a solute—lowers water's melting point, which is why it's useful for de-icing roads. And the higher the solute concentration, the slower ice forms. That's why solutes, or "cryoprotectants," are added to proteins, cells, tissues and even dead bodies to slow down ice formation during cryopreservation.