There are plenty of very serious uses for liquid nitrogen. It can be used to perform procedures in cryosurgery or preserve embryos for fertility treatments. It also has a multitude of applications in food production, from large-scale frozen food assembly to creating frozen craft cocktails and even boutique ice cream.
But, James Orgill, who has both a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and a popular YouTube channel called “The Action Lab”, is the first (as far as we know) to use liquid nitrogen to try to conduct an electrical charge through a block of ice.
For his experiment, Orgill uses a Wimshurst machine, which generates high voltages and makes a spark jump between two metal spheres.
Orgill starts out by submerging the tips of the machine in liquid nitrogen and watching as the spark continues to jump between the spheres, largely unimpeded.
Then, Orgill asks the question: “What if we encase the whole thing in a block of ice?”
We could answer that question for you, but why spoil the fun?
We certainly don’t recommend experimenting with liquid nitrogen without your own Ph.D. in chemical engineering along with proper protective equipment and training. But still, we would like to thank Orgill for helping to safely satisfy our curiosity.