Question: what happens if liqid nitragin in moltin meatal

Gary Munnelly answered on 11 Nov 2018:

There is an interesting sub-question here, which is “what type of metal do you mean”? Gallium is a molten metal at about 30 degrees Celcius. Mercury is a molten metal at -39 degrees Celcius. Iron melts at 1,538 degrees Celcius. Liquid Nitrogen has a temperature of -196 degrees Celcius. So, how much would the difference in temperature between the substances affect the reaction between molten metal and Liquid Nitrogen?

If you were to pour Liquid Nitrogen onto molten Iron, my guess (and this really is only a guess) is that the Nitrogen would turn back into a gas and dissipate before the Iron could cool down to the point where it was solid (assuming you have roughly equal amounts of Liquid Nitrogen and Iron). However, if you were to rapidly cool Iron with Liquid Nitrogen until it was solid, what you would find is that the Iron would be quite brittle and would shatter if it was hit too hard. This was a major consideration for blacksmiths who made swords back in the day. If the sword didn’t cool at the right speed after being forged it could become brittle and shatter during a fight.