Why does ice stick to your hands when you hold it?

Have you ever taken ice cubes out of the fridge to drink coffee or soft drink but before you could put them in the glass, you immediately realized that they were stuck to your hand? At first glance, this phenomenon does not seem too special or serious. But, how can ice cubes stick to our skin when the temperature of our skin is much higher than the ice cubes?

Scientists have given some answers to this interesting phenomenon as follows:

The colder the ice, the more likely it is to stick to the skin upon contact.

First, let's take a look at the freezing point of water . Normally, water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). However, the actual temperature of ice or snow can be much colder than that. Therefore, the colder the ice, the more likely it is to stick to your skin when it comes into contact . The "warmer" (that is, the more melted) the ice, the less likely it is to stick to your skin.

Another factor that makes ice stick to the skin is the moisture of the skin . Even if you do not wash your hands or always keep your skin dry, your skin still has a little natural moisture in the form of sweat. Therefore, when it comes into contact with ice, it will cause the moisture on the skin to "freeze". This newly formed layer of ice quickly adheres to the ice, accidentally causing the ice and skin to stick together.

According to chemical principles, the oxygen and hydrogen atoms in ice molecules have bonded with the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the sweat on your skin. This bond quickly forms a strong bond. As a result, some people have ice stuck to their hands, tongues, etc.

However, do not panic or worry, everything will be handled in a very simple, quick and painless way. Normally, the ice will quickly melt and fall off your skin in a few seconds , because the natural temperature of the body will melt it immediately. However, in case the ice is too big, too "stubborn" and refuses to let go, you just need to take a little warm water and pour it on the surface where the skin and the ice come into contact , they will come off immediately.

Note, absolutely do not use force to pull them out, this can cause pain as well as damage the skin.