Supersaturated Sodium Acetate - Tales from the Prep Room
A beautiful transformation and a curious conundrum. Watch as Andy turns liquid into solid in a matter of seconds, experimenting with a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate.
Click here to subscribe for more science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
It just takes one small nudge to spark the transformation of a seemingly stable liquid into a solid. The liquid – a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate – consists of water with more dissolved sodium acetate salt than can be stably sustained. When Andy drops in a salt crystal, he provides the kick needed to start the transformation into the more thermodynamically favourable solid state.
At least, that’s what’s meant to happen. Just like science in a lab, science in the Prep Room doesn’t always go to plan first time. It’s a process of trial and error, explaining the unexpected, and exploring the phenomena at work. Curiously, when he goes to start the process, Andy finds that the crystallisation has half-completed – something which should, in theory, be impossible, because once one crystal forms it should kick-start the full process throughout the liquid.
Watch more science videos on the Ri Channel http://richannel.org
The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://richannel.org/newsletter
Click here to subscribe for more science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
It just takes one small nudge to spark the transformation of a seemingly stable liquid into a solid. The liquid – a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate – consists of water with more dissolved sodium acetate salt than can be stably sustained. When Andy drops in a salt crystal, he provides the kick needed to start the transformation into the more thermodynamically favourable solid state.
At least, that’s what’s meant to happen. Just like science in a lab, science in the Prep Room doesn’t always go to plan first time. It’s a process of trial and error, explaining the unexpected, and exploring the phenomena at work. Curiously, when he goes to start the process, Andy finds that the crystallisation has half-completed – something which should, in theory, be impossible, because once one crystal forms it should kick-start the full process throughout the liquid.
Watch more science videos on the Ri Channel http://richannel.org
The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://richannel.org/newsletter
Category
📚
Learning