How to Make "Hot Ice"

Introduction

Greetings! Well, I'm sure that that title must have attracted your attention – I mean, “hot ice”? Those two words seem to contradict each other immensely: How is it possible to produce ice above freezing temperature? Believe it or not, it's actually very simple and requires only a few household products.

How exactly does one go about making hot ice? By dissolving sodium acetate, a compound with exothermic qualities, in hot water and letting the mixture cool, you come up with sodium acetate crystals in a container of water. However, when you touch the water with a bit of solid sodium acetate, you form a nucleation and cause it to solidify. Although it isn't technically ice, the mixture's resemblance to it is remarkable, and because the crystallization is exothermic, your “ice” will release heat!

Materials

The following are the required materials for this experiment:

• 
  
  ½ a cup of sodium acetate
• 
  
  a clear 250 millilitre container
• 
  
  200 millilitres of water
• 
  
  a 500 millilitre cooking pot
• 
  
  a refrigerator at standard temperature (1.7º Celsius to 3.3º Celsius)
• 
  
  a stove
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  a 2-cup measuring cup
• 
  
  a spoon

Procedure

Step 1: Pour approximately 200 millilitres of water into the 2 cup measuring cup.

Step 2: Pour the 200 millilitres of water into the 500 millilitre pot.

Step 3: Place the pot on a stove element set at medium.

Step 4: When the water is near its boiling stage, after about 1½ or 2 minutes, add approximately ½ a cup of sodium acetate in the water. Remember to keep a few extra crystals of sodium acetate!

Step 5: Stir the water constantly until the sodium acetate dissolves, and remove any sodium acetate that did not dissolve.

Step 6: Turn off the element, and pour the water into the 250 millilitre container.

Step 7: Place the 250 millilitre container in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Step 8: After the 30 minutes, remove the 250 millilitre container from the refrigerator.

Step 9: Touch the water in the 250 millilitre container with a bit of sodium acetate on your finger, and observe the water's transformation into “ice” – make sure to do this quickly; you don't want your finger to get frozen! The produced ice should be warm (about 46º Celsius).

Note: If it doesn't work the first time, you can boil the same water again with the sodium acetate in it. You either need to add more sodium acetate or boil down more water.

Conclusion

It may sound totally insane, but we showed you: It's possible to make hot ice! The crystals in the formation exert heat, and as a result, sodium acetate is used in hand warmers and heating pads. Some things in this world are almost inexplicable, but it's the complexity of the Universe that keeps the curiosity of humans satisfied. This experiment just goes to show the magic of science!