Day 1

Qualitative Quantitative

Preparation:
- Changed from powder to a chunky
solid when water was added to the
sodium acetate trihydrate (before put
into water bath)
- When dissolved turned into a
transparent colourless liquid
- Very little crystal like solids at the
bottom (looks like frost)
Preparation:
- 9g of Sodium acetate trihydrate
- 9mL of distilled water
- Water bath was 80 degrees when put
in
- 8 mins 46 seconds to dissolve
- Water bath was 75 degrees when
done dissolving

Day 2
Qualitative Quantitative

Procedure:
1st attempt:
- Liquid was clear before poured out
- When poured into watch glass no
tower was formed.
2nd attempt:
- When seed was put into the test tube,
liquid started to crystallize
- Liquid went from transparent to
opaque when crystallization formed
- Heat was given off of the test tube
Procedure:
1st attempt :
- Small amount of Sodium acetate/seed
(approximately 0.2g) placed on watch
glass
- Slowly poured ¼ of the liquid onto
watch glass
2nd attempt:
- added a small amount of sodium
acetate/seed ( approximately 0.2g)
into the test tube filled with the rest of
the liquid
ANALYSIS

1. Describe what happened after the Day 2 procedure.

After allowing the test tube to cool down overnight, the liquid was poured onto a watch glass
with a seed crystal. When the liquid was poured onto the watch glass nothing happened, but
when a seed crystal was placed in the test tube the liquid started to crystallize and went from
transparent to opaque. The test tube was then hot to the touch.
2. a) Why was a “seed crystal” required?
A “seed crystal” was required to stabilize the crystallization process, it is used as a base and
without it the liquid wouldn’t be able to crystallize/ build on top of it.

b) What else could have replaced the seed crystal?

Tapping/flicking the test tube could’ve replaced the seed crystal. By giving the liquid some
“shock” it creates an impact on its temperature.
3. How is crystallization different than freezing?
Crystallization is different from freezing because crystallization is when a liquid of some sort is
heated and then cooled, this can be a very slow process as heating up the liquid then cooling it
down can take more time. Heating up what’s in the test tube first will get rid of any impurities.
Freezing is when a liquid has to be exposed to a very cold temperature and turns solid, the
liquid gets to its freezing point and it can be done in a very fast process. Any particles left in the
liquid (eg. water) will freeze with it.
4. a) Is the crystallization endothermic or exothermic?
The crystallization is exothermic. When the seed was placed into the test tube, and crystals
began to form, it produced heat and was hot to the touch. If it were to be endothermic, the test
tube would require heat to crystallize.
b) What temperature do you think would be needed to melt the solution back to a
liquid?
I think 80 degrees would be the temperature to melt the solution back to a liquid. Since the
sodium acetate was melted at 80 degrees that would mean that that's it’s melting point. The
solid state only began to melt when the water bath reached 80 degrees which means to bring it
back to its liquid state after crystallization would need to be reheated at that temperature.