Dry ice is nothing more than Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which has reached the temperature at which
it turns into its solid state, or what we would more commonly call its frozen state.
Carbon Dioxide is an interesting material because, at normal atmospheric pressures, it has
no liquid state. It can only obtain a liquid state under very high pressure in a
containment vessel.
So, when you have a frozen chunk of carbon dioxide out in the open where you can see it, it
will transform directly from its solid state to a gas state with no intermediate liquid
state. This process is known as 'sublimation'.
Dry ice does not really need to be wet with water to give off visible vapor, it will freeze
water vapor in the air near it producing visible vapor all by itself, however adding water
will also add substantial heat which will cause the solid CO2 to sublimate at a greatly
accelerated rate thus producing much more visible vapor.
Answered by: Evan Edwards, Ohio
'My scientific work is motivated by an irresistible longing to understand the secrets of nature and by no other feelings.'