Cat’s Cradle

Vonnegut K. Cat s Cradle, Holt, Rinehart Winston, New York, 1963. 

The ice IX shown in Fig. 9 is not that postulated in Vonnegut s science fiction book, Cat s Cradle, that is quoted at the beginning of this chapter. That ice-nine is the stable form of water at ambient conditions, never previously discovered, due to lack of a nucleation crystal. When the mad scientist in Vonnegut s book synthesizes ice-nine and a crystal finds its way into the ocean, great calamities ensue. 

It is also possible for a pure material to have several different solid phases. Hn, a material that was once used for organ pipes, can change from a uniformly solid white tin to a powdery gray tin at low temperatures. This phase transition has been termed tin disease, or tin pest Ice can solidify into several distinct forms, including ice IX. Reportedly, Kurt Vonnegut, a chemist by training, was unaware of the actual existence of ice IX when he used the name in the plot for his novel Cat s Cradle ... 

Langmuir s discoveries helped shape the establishment of modern radio and television broadcasting, safeguarded the lives of soldiers in war, and provided the framework that allowed his research team to develop a key to possibly control the weather. Bernard Vonnegut s brother, the writer Kurt Vonnegut, made Langmuir a character, Dr. Felix Hoenikker, in his novel Cat s Cradle. Vonnegut claims that the absentminded scientist really did leave a tip for his wife after breakfast one time and abandoned his car in the middle of a traffic jam. 

American prisoner of war (POW), was in Dresden and survived the firebombing of the city as he hid deep in the cellar of a slaughterhouse. In his 1963 novel Cat s Cradle, Vonnegut ruminates over the evil that may emerge firom the noble intentions of technology. His 1968 novel Slaughterhouse Five was, in a sense, a catharsis for his Dresden experience. 

In his 1963 novel Cat s Cradle, author Kurt Vonnegut conjures up a new form of water, "ice-nine," sought by generals wishing to turn mud solid to speed their troops to battle. The problem is solved by an isolated, scientific genius who makes a tiny quantity of the dangerous substance, innocently starting the count-down to the end of all life on Earth. Since "ice-nine" is more stable than water, any water it touches (puddles, lakes, reservoirs, oceans, rain) E>ecomes "ice-nine" and all liquid water vanishes from the planet. 

The story was told very well in a book published in 1981, which is reminiscent of the science fiction novel Cat s Cradle, written in 1963 by Kurt Vonnegut. In Vonnegut s story, a scientist discovers a new form of water, called ice-9, which freezes at room temperature. Moreover, when ice-9 comes in contact with ordinary water, that water turns into ice-9 and solidifies too. Thus, the dramatic tension comes from the risk that all the world s water could turn into ice-9 and solidify. Imagine life without flowing water ... 

In the novel Cat s Cradle a fictional form of ice is discovered that melts at 114" F. Since it is more stable than liquid water at room temperature, ultimately all of the... 

Ninel See Kurt Vonnegut s novel. Cat s Cradle for ecperimental details. ... 

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