Chemistry

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Chemistry
photo of Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Anne Marie's Chemistry Blog

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com Guide to Chemistry since 2001

Cold Packs & Endothermic Reactions

Wednesday March 22, 2006
You can make your own cold pack by tossing water in the freezer (otherwise known as making ice cubes), but there are chemical reactions you can do to make things cold, too. Reactions that absorb heat from the environment are called endothermic reactions. A common example is a chemical ice pack, which usually contains water and a packet of ammonium chloride. The cold pack is activated by breaking the barrier separating the water and ammonium chloride, allowing them to mix. If you are doing a demonstration, making a cold pack, or just seeking examples of endothermic reactions and processes, there are other chemicals you can react to get a lowered temperature. Show me what to mix...

Comments

March 10, 2009 at 1:59 pm
(1) Wolf says:

Thanks helped me with science homework.

Leave a Comment

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Discuss

Community Forum

Explore Chemistry

About.com Special Features

Chemistry

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Chemistry

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.