Supersaturated Sodium Acetate! #Chemistry Supersaturated sodium acetate is a solution that temporarily holds more sodium acetate dissolved in water than it normally can at a lower temperature. This is achieved by dissolving the salt in hot water and then carefully cooling the solution without disturbing it. The solution remains in this unstable state until a disturbance or seed crystal triggers rapid crystallization, where the excess sodium acetate quickly forms solid crystals and releases heat.