Posts
Supersaturated Solution Crystallizing
Prepare for magic science! Here is a really, really cool experiment you can do at home explained in "plain" English. If you take a cup of water and add salt to it you will notice it's "disappearing." What is going on is that the salt is dissolving into the water. The water molecules are breaking the salt molecule up. If you keep adding salt you will soon notice that it has stopped dissolving. The solution has become saturated, in laymen terms, there is no more room for the salt to dissolve. If you heated the water more salt can be dissolved.Now, if you take that hot water with more salt in it and cool it, well you just made a super saturated mixture. There is more salt than the water can hold at that temp. in the water. Nothing will happen until you add a seed crystal. If you drop on some salt into the super saturated solution, it will cause the rest of the salt to come out to. Because the salt is evenly distributed it will appear to "freeze" but really it is salt coming out. So, replace the salt with Sodium acetate and BAM, you get HOT ICE!
However, the video failed to mention that he had some Sodium acetate on the tip of his finger. You need a seed crystal to start the reaction. Also it is not really solid ice but more of a mush like mud. A way easer way to get instant freezing water is to take an unopened non flavored water bottle and put it in the freezer for between 40-60 min. Then take it out and shake it, hit it or pour it out. The results are very similar.
Just dont eat it! It's concentrated sodium acetate. Acetate is what makes vinegar unique and gives it its smell and sour taste. Vinegar is 5% acetic acid and 95% water but concentrated acetic acid can drill a hole in your stomach and intestines. So yeah, you probably don't want to ingest something that causes pain, nausea, and vomiting.
However, the video failed to mention that he had some Sodium acetate on the tip of his finger. You need a seed crystal to start the reaction. Also it is not really solid ice but more of a mush like mud. A way easer way to get instant freezing water is to take an unopened non flavored water bottle and put it in the freezer for between 40-60 min. Then take it out and shake it, hit it or pour it out. The results are very similar.
Just dont eat it! It's concentrated sodium acetate. Acetate is what makes vinegar unique and gives it its smell and sour taste. Vinegar is 5% acetic acid and 95% water but concentrated acetic acid can drill a hole in your stomach and intestines. So yeah, you probably don't want to ingest something that causes pain, nausea, and vomiting.
5 thoughts:
What a coincidence. We were just talking about chemical compounds and how water conducts electricity because of the minerals in it, one being NaCl. I'm taking chemistry this summer to get it out of the way and because I plan to go onto nursing school to get a BSN. I'm finding I kinda like chem~surprise!
Way cool! Can't wait to try this. I love science experiments...as long as nothing is going to blow up!!
It makes for a pretty cool effect regardless, eh? It's like he's magically making the water into ice!
Very cool!
Do you have any info on Flushing Dry Ice down toilets?
Thanks Ilker for the great posts
That is just crazy rediculous. I have never seen anything freeze so fast. I would try it if I didn't have to buy some special chemical to do it.
I think it would be a great idea to create a how-to blog entry on how to make salt or shugar crystals. I may have to do that soon.
Until then, read some of the short fiction on my blog and leave a comment. Cluck my name at the top of this comment.
What do you think? Post your thoughts..