Liquid nitrogen + bare hands?

[homercles337]

...some guy on Food network is rolling balloons around in liquid nitrogen with BARE hands. How in gawds name is this possible?

Now the fool is using a butane torch on his bare hands. This guy is NOT human.

 

[2Xtreme21]

I used to do that when I worked for the science center. It's not like it insta-freezes anything it touches... you obviously don't want to dowse your hand in it or anything, but touching it for a quarter of a second isn't gonna do squat.

 

[Evadman]

when you do that you end up with a small layer of nitrogen gas around your fingers. It will kepp you 'safe' for a very very short time.

 

[homercles337]

Hmmm, ok. Thanks guys. I have never "played" with liquid nitrogen. I thought it was insta-perma-freeze. So this guy is human and not some kind of robot in disguise?

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Originally posted by: Evadman
when you do that you end up with a small layer of nitrogen gas around your fingers. It will kepp you 'safe' for a very very short time.

Leidenfrost effect.

 

[Praxis1452]

Originally posted by: homercles337
Hmmm, ok. Thanks guys. I have never "played" with liquid nitrogen. I thought it was insta-perma-freeze. So this guy is human and not some kind of robot in disguise?

science effect. When a liquid touches something that is at a temperature much higher than it's boiling point it will expand iinto gas creating an insulating layer. He does not have liquid nitrogen touching him but rather gaseous nitrogen.

 

[andylawcc]

Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus

Originally posted by: Evadman
when you do that you end up with a small layer of nitrogen gas around your fingers. It will kepp you 'safe' for a very very short time.

Leidenfrost effect.

learn something new every day

 

[homercles337]

[montgomery burns]Excellent.[/montgomery burns] Where can i find liquid nitrogen? I bet we have some at work. Now i have something to investigate tomorrow.

 

[Tobolo]

Yeah he wasnt touching the actual liquid. he would spin it but his hands never dipped in. But yeah you can have it your hands for a bit without freezing.

 

[Jeff7]

Something else that I believe contributes to the effect is that the molecules in liquid nitrogen are nonpolar, so it lacks the wetting effect found in liquids with polar molecules, such as water. That, combined with the thin layer of gas around your hand enables one to briefly dip various body parts briefly into the liquid without sustaining damage.
Now if you get liquid nitrogen on clothing, then you'll get burned, because the cloth will hold the cold liquid against your skin.

 

[sniperruff]

i work with liquid nitrogen every day, and no dipping your finger in one won't do anything. unless you put it in there for 5,10 seconds....

 

[cubby1223]

It's like my highschool chemistry teacher once a year would get some liquid nitrogen, and one of the favorite things he'd do is put the cracker goldfish in the liquid nitrogen, then eat them right afterwards. He'd also take some in a spoon and throw it at students - just a little bit so it evaporated before reaching anyone.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Pouring liquid nitrogen on the floor is one of the most effective methods of cleaning up a mercury spill.

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: sniperruff
i work with liquid nitrogen every day, and no dipping your finger in one won't do anything. unless you put it in there for 5,10 seconds....

I used to work in aircraft assembly and we shrank bushings for installation. Sometimes a bushing would fall off the hook into the thermos pot and we'd dip our hand in there and grab it out, really quickly, and let go of the bushing really quickly.