Actually, most liquids do /not/ expand when they freeze. In fact, most liquids lose volume as they freeze. This is because when you freeze a liquid, its molecules slow down. … When the individual molecules become closer together, the substance will take up less space.

Can water freeze without expanding?

What Happens When You Freeze Water in a Container So Strong the Water Can’t Expand Into Ice? The short answer is that the water still turns into ice; however, if it genuinely cannot break the bonds of the container it is trapped inside, it turns into a very different kind of ice than we’re used to seeing.

What liquid expands the most when frozen?

As a result, ice is less dense than the liquid form. Water is the only known non-metallic substance that expands when it freezes; its density decreases and it expands approximately 9% by volume.

If water did not expand when freezing, then it would be denser than liquid water when it froze; therefore it would sink and fill lakes or the ocean from bottom to top. Once the oceans filled with ice, life there would not be possible.