How can ice freeze without being brought to a freezing temperature? By making instant hot ice, of course. Impossible? Possible! You can make this substance, which looks like ice but releases heat, with either store-bought or homemade materials. Scroll down to Step 1 to find out how you can make your own hot ice.
Step One
Add 6 tablespoons (not teaspoons!) of baking soda to a pot. Do not use baking powder.
Step Two
Add 2 liters (0.5 US gal) of white vinegar to the baking soda until it stops fizzing. Do this bit by bit to avoid spills and stir often. When the fizzing stops, the reaction is complete, leaving you a diluted solution of sodium acetate. The solution should be clear.
Step Three
Move the completed solution into a smaller (preferably glass) container and add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinegar. The vinegar will help keep the solution in its aqueous state.
Step Four
Stir solution. Make sure all solids are completely dissolved.
Step Five
Add a bit of crystallized sodium acetate to your aqueous solution. Use the powder scrapings you removed from the pot while you were boiling down the solution. Start with a small pinch or two; if they have no effect, add a larger amount.
Step Six
Watch your hot ice form. With the addition of the solid sodium acetate to the super-cooled sodium acetate, a chain reaction is set off, causing the entire solution to become solid.If this does not happen, there is a problem with your solution. Either try again or switch to the Store-Bought Sodium Acetate method.