Today is 31 July 2009 -- Enthalpy study

Here are more instructions on how to make sodium acetate:

A better way of seeing when the reaction between sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid is complete is when CO2 bubbles stop being produced.  Then, you need to evaporate the solution to dryness.  Except if you do it all the way on a hot plate, you will burn the acetate salt.  When it is almost dry, but you have some liquid, put the beaker in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time.  When dry, the salt is fluffy and has a slightly waxy feel.

Next, add 25 ml of water to a 100 ml beaker.  Add about 100 ml of water to a larger (e.g. -- 250 ml) beaker.  Put the larger beaker on the hot plate.  Put the smaller beaker in it.  This makes a double-boiler and assures that the temperature of the 25 ml of water will not be higher than the boiling point of water.  When the water in the outer beaker is boiling, add the sodium acetate salt little by little until no more will dissolve to the inner beaker.  At this point, you have a supersaturated solution.   Take the smaller beaker out and let it cool.  You can put it in another 250 ml beaker with cool water in it to chill it faster.  If it remains fluid at room temperature, you probably have done everything right.  Then, add a crystal of sodium acetate.  It should start to crystalize and will release heat.  If so, reheat the beaker (in the boiling water bath -- 250 ml beaker) to dissolve and pour into a pouch.  Add the stainless steel initiator strip and seal the pouch.  Now, when it cools, you should be able to flex the stainless steel and see the sodium acetate crystallize with release of heat.