Odd behaviour of cold Indian Tonic Water

[minesapint]

I've jut removed a 330ml bottle of carbonated Indian tonic water out of the fridge to make a G&T. When I removed the bottle, it felt very cold and had ice crystals on the outside. Nevertheless, the liquid was fully mobile inside the bottle with no trace of ice. As soon as I twisted off the cap, carbon dioxide escaped but then pieces of ice began to form in the liquid. By the time I had the cap fully off the bottle, a great deal of the tonic water was iced up. When I poured the tonic water into a tumbler, the ice came along with it. However, on adding the gin, the ice rapidly melted no doubt due to the gin being at room temperature.

What process is as work here? Is this something to do with supernucleation that I read about a few years ago?

Many thanks.

[boxtops]

Sounds like your fridge is running a bit cold! - the CO2 would stop the ice forming if it's very cold but it would form when the oxygen hits it as you open the bottle.

[scotman]

I have seen the same in my fridge with soda water. I think it has something to do with temperature and amount of CO2 in the liquid. When opened the pressure is released and freezing can occur.

[Teddio]

As you remove the stopper, bubbles of carbon dioxide form. These act as nucleation centres for the ice crystals to form. Your cold tonic water was a supercooled liquid. Pure water can be cooled to below -20 Celsius without it freezing.

[jomifl]

Boxtops ..I don't think oxygen played any part in this process.