How does your AC actually make cold air?
About this episode
Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry behind air conditioning and how it cools your home.
Is your air conditioner secretly doing chemistry while you’re inside pretending summer doesn’t exist? How does it turn hot air into cool air, and why does part of the AC blow out even more heat? In this episode, Melissa and Jam crack open the mysterious black box of air conditioning to explore refrigerants, phase changes, energy transfer, and the surprisingly clever science keeping your house livable. Plus: frozen AC coils, summer survival drinks, and the beginning of Hibiscus Girl Summer.
People in this episode
Hosts: Melissa, Jam
Topics covered
- air conditioning
- refrigerants
- phase changes
- energy transfer
- summer survival drinks
Keywords
- air conditioner
- cool air
- hot air
- frozen AC coils
- chemistry
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Hibiscus Girl Summer
More episodes of Chemistry For Your Life
- Which chemistry lessons have stuck with us? (Happy Chemiversary!)
- Can water air-condition your house?
- What’s the dark side of air conditioning?
- Reddit Chemistry: Why do metals make different-colored flames? (and other questions)
- Why do diet coke and mentos do that thing?
- Why do people hate organic chemistry?
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