Why does ice smell like ice

[WineIsMyCarb]

It's all in the title. Drinking refreshing glass of water with those ice-cubes the freezer makes (visiting family, don't usually live this billionaire's lifestyle!) and the ice smells... icy. Very pleasant, and all that, but icy. Tell me the answers, magic internet women!

I don't know. But I get what you mean. I can smell snow before it falls iyswim. A sort of metallic smell. Coppery.

[strokes chin]

Oh my. Now i have to go and stick my head in the plastic ice bag in the freezer. Be back soon. Hopefully

Mmmm. There is a light smell.

Wooaaah
I’ve never thought about it, but now you mention it, when I worked in pubs, the rooms with the ice machines always had the same smell, and ice does have a smell!

Is it maybe caused by melting?

We have an ice-maker in our fridge.

The kids are OBSESSED with ice going stale. I don't notice. They refuse ice more than 3 or 4 days old - they think it smells.

It is the scent of the cold remaining gases left by the freezer removing the heat, i always thought

They refuse ice more than 3 or 4 days old - they think it smells
Stale ice has a distinctive smell - different to fresh, more unpleasant.

Kez you have a problem love. We are all here for you. There are people who can help.

Interesting and scientifically minded Harebell. Let's go with that and Ed's very discerning DC!

Also Harebell I think pluralising 'gas' made your argument much more convincing.

I often claim that 'proteins' (note: plural) at what make eggy plates STINK in the dishwasher and if washed up in anything less than green washing up liquid and a dash of bleach . I sound like a nutter (I concede!) until I cite "proteins" and everyone takes me seriously. Gullible fools!

I spend much of my working life dealing with ice. I have never noticed a smell

I feel I can share my "weird" thing now. When I turn on the hot tap and let it run for a minute to warm up I can actually hear when it turns hot . The water actually sounds different as it runs into the sink. Did I just discover this or did everyone already know this incredible phenomenon?

Hot water does sound different to cold water; the molecules are whizzing about with a higher energy store than the cold water molecules. It also has a different viscosity and there are different numbers of bubbles.

That's what I thought Bobbins

@BadHairDyeDay DH was telling me about this, apparently loads of people can tell, maybe 50%? (I wasn't listening that hard.)

Are you a professional woolly mammoth ReallyBad?!

Torvill or Dean?
Ice sculptor?
Slush puppy salesperson?
Zamboni driver?
Vanilla Ice?

Ice smells (and snow) because of chemicals dissolved in it. Especially for tap water ice, as it's most certainly not pure water; even used a filter jug and looked in the filter?

I love you lot. There, I said it.

badhair I too can tell the difference between hot and cold water being poured / ran a mile off.

I have have announced this skill to my slave teen on more than one occasion when I've sent him to make a cuppa and heard the sound of non boiling water being sloshed in the cup and then he swears blind he boiled the kettle.

Also when same teen runs a bath (cold tap first)!

Cold water is harsh, hot water is softer and more sloshy.

@funko same applies in this house when teens "wash" dishes under a cold running tap. The hot/cold water radar is clearly a necessity gift.

Water at different temperatures also sounds different to me. And ice smells.

I hate the smell of vitamins. Drinks with added vitamins make me

Hot water sounds softer. Ice smells metallic. Even ice made with spring water or ice outside from rainwater has a smell, although it's a cleaner one. Ice in a pub smells the worst. I never get ice in my drinks because of it.

Ice smells, snow smells. Ice can def go stale (so yuck).

And yeah I can hear when the water turns hot, it gets quieter.

I can tell how full the bath is by the pitch of the water hitting the full/half full bath.