Liquid Nitrogen

A gifted 15-year-old student from India had to be rushed to the hospital after drinking liquid nitrogen during a science class at Princeton University. The class was part of a program run by the Connecticut-based Summer Institute for the Gifted.

So a quick Google search brings us this:

Under normal atmospheric pressure, nitrogen can exist as a liquid between the temperatures of 63 K and 77.2 K (-346°F and -320.44°F). Since it is obtained from the atmosphere, liquid nitrogen is inexpensive and is rarely refrigerated. It is kept in insulated containers called Dewars and is allowed to boil away. Since it is boiling, most of the liquid nitrogen used in laboratories and in cryogenics shows is at a temperature of 77.2 K.

Not everyone took the smart pill this morning, it seems.

Now do all of you trusting first-year teachers understand why we old farts are always repeating "Never leave kids alone in your room." Even the "best ones" will invariably do something stupid at least once. God help the teacher who was in the room when our intrepid Gifted Student allowed his buddies to talk him into this.

"Yeah, it's cool. Just touch your tongue to the pole."