Nothing is more refreshing on a hot day than an ice-cold beverage. Impatient people often put their drinks in the freezer. But please be aware that some drinks should never be frozen.
Carbonated drinks like canned or bottled Coca-Cola and Sprite should not be frozen below 0°C for two reasons:
1. As water temperature decreases, its volume expands. This also happens when water freezes into ice. Therefore, when the drink freezes, its volume expands significantly, causing the can or glass bottle to deform or even explode.
2. Gas does not dissolve in ice. Once the drink starts to freeze, a large amount of carbon dioxide is released. This released carbon dioxide greatly increases the pressure inside the can.
In some cases, the drink explodes inside the freezer, but many accidents happen when the can is opened. Freezing increases the gas pressure inside the can. Sometimes, this pressure is not enough to crack the metal can, which might only become deformed. However, opening the lid provides an outlet for the pressure to escape. A large amount of gas (which may also be mixed with liquid and ice) rushes out of this small opening. The destructive force of this rapidly moving material is what causes the can to rupture or for shrapnel to fly and injure people.