What is Sodium Acetate?
Sodium Acetate is a chemical compound, comprising one Sodium (Na) atom, two oxygen (O) atoms, two carbon (C) atoms, and three hydrogens (H) atoms. It is a sodium salt of acetic acid or Sodium acetate anhydrous (i.e., lacking water of hydration) or Sodium Ethanoate. It is easily soluble in water and alcohol and is hygroscopic in nature. It is usually odourless but when heated till decomposition it smells like vinegar or acetic acid.
Chemical Formula: CH3COONa.
Uses of Sodium Acetate
It is generally used in the textile industry.
It is used in hot ice, heating pads, and hand warmers.
It is used as a disinfectant.
It is used as a buffering agent in the cosmetics industry in a variety of personal care products.
It acts as a concrete sealant.
It can be used as a buffer with acetic acid to keep a relatively constant pH at 881.4 °C.
It is used as an additive in food industries, as a preservative that prevents bacteria formation in a wide range of food.
Properties of Sodium Acetate
Preparation Method
Sodium acetate can be prepared with the help of baking soda and vinegar. (It is advised to wear safety goggles as the splashing can happen and it will cause irritation in the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. If inhaled directly, it can cause inflammation of the lungs and throat).
Steps
Add one spoonful of baking soda to a glass container and slowly add vinegar, being careful not to create too much foam, Keep adding vinegar while stirring the mixture.
Once the mixture stops bubbling, you can stop adding vinegar as all of the sodium bicarbonate has been converted to sodium acetate and carbon dioxide.
To separate out the sodium acetate from water, boil the solution until you hear a popping sound. At this point, crystals will be formed. When you get this supersaturated sodium acetate solution, cool the solution to room temperature, and a translucent gel will be formed.
Scrape the gel into a bowl with a coffee filter, which will absorb the remaining water, Break the pieces and put them on another coffee filter to finish the drying process, creating sodium acetate powder.
Reactions Involved :
\[CH_3COOH + NaHCO_3 \rightarrow CH_3COONa + H_2CO_3\]
Acetic Acid Baking Soda Sodium Acetate Carbonic Acid
\[H2_CO_3 \rightarrow H_2O + CO_2 \]
Carbonic Acid Water Carbon Dioxide
Did You know?
Sodium acetate is also used as a deicer (the process of removing ice) in parking garages. The compound is preferred over Sodium chloride because sodium chloride corrodes steel rods buried in concrete and sodium acetate does not corrode. There are several other uses of sodium acetate.
What happens when Sodium Acetate is heated?
Answer: When Sodium acetate is heated above 58 °C, sodium acetate loses its hydration capacity and starts to dissolve in that steam. The process is exothermic in nature.
Note:
Acidic Buffers: It is a combination of the weak acid and its salt with a strong base (Conjugate base).
Eg: HCOOH / HCOONa
CH3COOH / CH3COONa
H2CO3 / NaHCO3
Basic Buffers: It is a combination of a weak base and salt with a strong acid (Conjugate acid).
Eg: NH3 / NH4Cl
NH4OH / NH4Cl
Sodium acetate can cause mild irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. If inhaled directly, it can cause inflammation of the lungs and throat.
Applications of Sodium Acetate
Sodium acetate is a compound used in various industries in the manufacturing of different products. Below are some of the applications of sodium acetate.
Biotechnology
Sodium acetate can be used as a carbon source to cultivate bacteria. This chemical compound also helps in increasing yields while extracting DNA by ethanol precipitation.
Industrial
Sodium acetate is a chemical compound widely used in the textile industry to remove calcium salts, which improves the quality of the finished fabric. Apart from this, it is used as a pickling agent in the production of synthetic rubber.
Food
Sodium acetate adds a salty flavour to different types of food items. It acts as a preservative to improve the flavour and quality of the food such as meat, poultry, etc. During food processing, sodium acetate regulates the pH level.
Heating Pads
Sodium acetate is used in heating pads and warmers. This compound can melt at 58.4°C dissolving in the water of crystallisation. Once the sodium acetate crystal is heated past its melting point, the aqueous solution will become supersaturated. This solution can cool down to room temperature without forming any crystals.
Medical
Sodium acetate injections are commonly used to treat or prevent hyponatremia. In this condition, there is a lack of sodium in the patient’s blood. With sodium acetate injection, the level of sodium in the blood can be increased and improve the patient’s condition.
Water
Instead of methanol, sodium acetate is used in water treatment as an environmentally-friendly compound. It can be used to prevent or lessen the damage caused by water to the concrete.
Cosmetic Products
Sodium acetate is used in the manufacturing of cosmetic products as a buffering agent to neutralise the pH levels and improve the quality of these products.
Learn about Sodium Acetate
Learning about Sodium Acetate - Definition, Use, Preparation, and Reactions requires a lot of your time and attention. Sodium acetate is a chemical compound, which can be used for multiple purposes. For example, sodium acetate acts as a buffering agent in personal care products. To learn everything about sodium acetate, you can follow the tips mentioned below:
You can start learning about sodium acetate from your chemistry textbook to get an idea of what this chemical compound is and how it is prepared.
Refer to Vedantu’s website and find the best study materials to learn the concept of sodium acetate. Here, you can learn the preparation, uses, and structure of sodium acetate and enhance your knowledge.
Use different reference books and guides of chemistry to gain more knowledge about sodium acetate and improve your understanding of the concept.
Go through the steps of preparation of sodium acetate thoroughly and also learn about the materials you need to prepare it.
Learn how sodium acetate reacts with other chemical compounds and is used in various industries for different purposes.
After learning about sodium acetate, you should start attempting questions to practice and test your knowledge to check whether you have understood the concept or not.
FAQs on Sodium Acetate
1. What is sodium acetate and what is its chemical formula?
Sodium acetate is the sodium salt of acetic acid, often referred to as sodium ethanoate. It is a colourless, hygroscopic salt that is highly soluble in water. Its chemical formula is CH₃COONa, which indicates it is composed of a sodium cation (Na⁺) and an acetate anion (CH₃COO⁻).
2. What are the most important uses of sodium acetate?
Sodium acetate has a wide range of applications across various industries. Some key examples of its importance include:
- Food Industry: Used as a seasoning to impart a salt and vinegar flavour, and as a preservative to control the pH and inhibit bacterial growth.
- Heating Pads: A primary component in reusable 'hot ice' heating pads due to the exothermic nature of its crystallization.
- Textile Industry: Used to neutralise sulphuric acid waste streams and as a photoresist while using aniline dyes.
- Buffer Solutions: When mixed with acetic acid, it creates a buffer solution that can maintain a constant pH.
- Concrete Sealant: It is used as a de-icing agent and can mitigate water damage to concrete structures.
3. How can sodium acetate be prepared using common household items?
A simple preparation of sodium acetate involves the reaction between acetic acid (found in vinegar) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). When mixed, they undergo a neutralization reaction that produces sodium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide gas, which is observed as bubbling or fizzing. The balanced chemical equation is:
CH₃COOH + NaHCO₃ → CH₃COONa + H₂O + CO₂
4. Why is an aqueous solution of sodium acetate (CH₃COONa) basic in nature?
An aqueous solution of sodium acetate is basic due to a process called salt hydrolysis. Sodium acetate is a salt formed from a weak acid (acetic acid, CH₃COOH) and a strong base (sodium hydroxide, NaOH). When dissolved in water, the acetate ion (CH₃COO⁻) reacts with water to form acetic acid and hydroxide ions (OH⁻). The accumulation of these hydroxide ions increases the solution's pH, making it basic.
5. How does sodium acetate create 'hot ice' in reusable heating pads?
Reusable heating pads contain a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate in water. This solution is cooled below its freezing point but remains liquid. Clicking a small metal disc inside the pad provides a nucleation site, triggering rapid crystallization. This process of crystallization is highly exothermic, meaning it releases a significant amount of energy as heat, causing the pad to warm up. The solid 'hot ice' can then be melted by boiling it in water, returning it to its supersaturated liquid state for reuse.
6. Explain how a mixture of sodium acetate and acetic acid acts as a buffer solution.
A mixture of acetic acid (a weak acid) and sodium acetate (its conjugate base) forms an acidic buffer. This solution can resist drastic changes in pH when small amounts of an acid or base are added. If a base (OH⁻) is added, the acetic acid neutralizes it. If an acid (H⁺) is added, the acetate ions from sodium acetate neutralize it. This mechanism is crucial for maintaining a stable pH environment in chemical and biological systems.
7. Why is sodium acetate often preferred over sodium chloride (common salt) as a de-icing agent?
While both compounds can lower the freezing point of water, sodium acetate is often preferred for de-icing concrete surfaces, especially those with steel reinforcements (rebars). The primary reason is that sodium chloride (NaCl) releases corrosive chloride ions that accelerate the rusting of steel, compromising the structural integrity of the concrete. Sodium acetate is significantly less corrosive, making it a safer, though more expensive, alternative for protecting infrastructure like bridges and parking garages.
