Chemistry of Ice Hockey

Chemistry Connections

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Chemistry Connections

Episode Title: The Chemistry of Ice Hockey

Episode #11

Welcome to Chemistry Connections, our names are Lucy and Jack and we are your hosts for episode 11 called The Chemistry of Ice Hockey.

Segment 1: Introduction to Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is one of the greatest sports to both play and watch. It features extremely fast-paced and physical gameplay because it's played on ice. Hockey originated in Canada during the early 1800s and comes from the French word “hocquet” meaning stick. The game involves one goalie and five other players who skate around trying to score goals. One of the greatest sporting achievements ever, The Miracle on Ice, was an Olympic ice hockey game when the underdog US men’s team beat the top seed USSR team. This illustrates the elusive nature of hockey and the unpredictability surrounding it drawing fans from all around the globe.

Segment 2: Personal Connections

Both of us adore sports. Hockey has been a key aspect of my childhood and a way I have connected with my family. And I hope to become a professional sports commentator, so it was only natural for both of us to research the chemistry and science behind hockey.

Segment 3: The Chemistry Behind Ice Hockey

Lets pause here to talk about some chemistry at work. We will be covering the most important aspect of hockey, the ice (but put a pin in that)! First, though, we will discuss the pucks that slide across the ice.

Pucks are made out of vulcanized rubber. Vulcanized rubber is used to create o-rings, tires, and much more. Its unique properties make it a useful tool in not just ice hockey. Before the process of vulcanization was developed rubber was susceptible to changes in temperature, too hot and the rubber would quickly melt, too cold and the rubber would become extremely brittle. This would be ineffective as an ice hockey puck because it is a sport played in the cold on ice, it would lose all of its strong yet elastic properties. Vulcanization is a process that involves heating rubber and combining it with sulfur to improve its elasticity and strength.

Vulcanization works by forming chemical cross-links or covalent bonds (attractive force between nonmetal atoms) between long isoprene molecules (a natural rubber monomer aka a carbon chain) using sulfur. This when diagramed looks like long carbon chains parallel to each other, connected by perpendicular bonds with sulfur. This forms a net-like structure which contributes to the hockey puck’s key characteristics (resistance to extreme temperatures and strength). This allowed Alexander Riazantsev, from the KHL (Russian pro league) to hit a slap shot at 114.27 MPH.

Maybe even more important to hockey than pucks is ice. What defines hockey from all other sports (making it cooler, better, and more fun) is that it is played on ice. This contributes to super-fast gameplay and cool skates.

Ice, as we all know, is made of water. The intermolecular forces (IMFs) are attractive forces between particles. The IMFs between water molecules are known as hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds form when hydrogen atoms in a molecule bond with nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine in another molecule. It is a very strong bond. The strongest, even. As a result, it requires a lot of energy to break these bonds. In our case, we mean melting the ice (solid to liquid). Hydrogen bonds aren’t the only IMFs between water molecules; London dispersion forces (LDFs) exist between all particles, but are much weaker and aren’t as strong as the hydrogen bonds between water molecules.

The best part about ice (hockey) is the Zamboni. The Zamboni is a big machine that comes out in between periods during the intermission to clean and smooth the ice (and look cool). (I really, really, really, want to ride one). (You know you can ride them for your birthday when you go to a game)? Zambonis start by scraping away the top layer of the ice. However, there are still deep grooves in the ice from the skaters. In order to fix this, the Zamboni lays down a piping-hot layer of water. This water transfers heat into the top layer of the ice. This causes the hydrogen bonds between water molecules to break (because the water from the Zamboni is hot enough to break the super strong forces between the molecules). This melts the ice, and gets rid of the grooves. The Zamboni then has a broom which smooths the water behind it. Then, because the whole arena is cold and sitting on top of a larger ice sheet, the thin layer of water begins to cool again and refreeze. The ice is the defining feature of hockey, and knowing how it works (and how the Zamboni works) can enhance our love for an already cool sport.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Chemistry Connections. For more student-run podcasts and digital content, make sure that you visit www.hvspn.com.

Sources:

• https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/7966340-do-you-know-what-hockey-pucks-are-made-of
• https://www.globaloring.com/blog/what-is-vulcanization-and-vulcanized-rubber/#:~:text=The%20vulcanization%20process%20involves%20adding,used%20to%20manufacture%20vehicle%20tires.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcanization#:~:text=It%20works%20by%20forming%20cross,thermosetting%20polymers%2C%20is%20generally%20irreversible.
• https://olympics.com/en/sports/ice-hockey/#:~:text=Ice%20hockey%20originated%20in%20Canada,%E2%80%9D%2C%20meaning%20%E2%80%9Cstick%E2%80%9D.
• https://annex.exploratorium.edu/hockey/ice3.html#:~:text=The%20Zamboni%20is%20a%20mechanical,and%20dirt%20is%20then%20collected.
• https://www.britannica.com/science/covalent-bond
• https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/khl-alexander-ryazantsev-sets-world-record-hardest-shot-174131642.html

Music Credits

Warm Nights by @LakeyInspired

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