Endothermic Reactions for Dummies

Chemicals in an Instant Ice Pack

We seem to be on some sort of roll... two days ago, the DotD qualified because his answer met only a specific instance of a broad question; while yesterday she answered the wrong question (and probably got the answer wrong). That leads us to today's candidate, Shelly Schumacher: writing at Leaf.tv in, of all places, "cocktails," Shelly gave the world her take on "How to Make Ice Without a Refrigerator."¹ Since the topic's already in the wrong place, it comes as no surprise that the journalism grad's answer is equally inappropriate...

We say that because Schumacher (already a two-time winner) clearly misunderstood the question; or perhaps we should say that the answer was simply inconceivable to her because of holes in her education. Most people who had taken (and passed) a chemistry class would think of endothermic reactions, those who'd passed physics might think of the effects of pressure on freezing temperature. The J-school grad? Her answers -- such as they are -- are

• Place ice cube trays full of water outside on a day when the temperature is below freezing
• Use a "standalone freezer" (hey -- it's not a refrigerator!)
• Get the ice you need from a "frozen pond or lake."

We kid you not...

In case you weren't aware, those are stupid, stupid, stupid answers; especially the standalone freezer crap. Only a total scientific illiterate would think those are sufficient (and Shelly claims to have a BS in Journalism? Really...). Well, here are a few references that will help people who are seeking real answers to this question: The effects of pressure on the freezing (and boiling) point of water can be found in this content from an Illinois physics department. As for making ice from endothermic reactions, heck, you can get an instant ice pack from your neighborhood Walgreens – or perform an experiment to make your own.

Schumacher's "answer"? all that does is 1) demonstrate that the former Demand Media sites, now being spread out through a bunch of niche sites by Leaf Group, still can't be trusted for information. And 2) it once again shows that some people will write anything about any topic just to make a few bucks. We're here to tell you, that's the kind of person we call our Dumbass of the Day – like Shelly is today.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   leaf.tv/articles/how-to-make-ice-without-a-refrigerator/

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