Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Weird floaters

copperastic - 29-3-2014 at 14:44

Hi I just reacted vinegar with baking soda to make sodium acetate and i was about to boil it down when i noticed white floating things that look alot like the DNA i made from bananas. Could this be the bacteria from making the vinegar? Will it matter?
P.s: It was white distilled vinegar.

copperastic - 29-3-2014 at 14:55

Never mind i just looked it up. Will it have a effect on the sodium acetate or do i have to filter it?

hyfalcon - 29-3-2014 at 15:07

I don't know. How soluble is sodium acetate? Decide from that. Personally? Always filter, or decant if it will sink for you.

[Edited on 29-3-2014 by hyfalcon]

Zephyr - 29-3-2014 at 17:54

If 5% vinegar was used, all the sodium acetate produced would be soluble in the amount of liquid left over. just filter it and evaporate the clear filtrate. If I had to guess, I would say the white floating chunks were a carbonate of some contaminant in the acetic acid.

copperastic - 29-3-2014 at 18:38

Update: I have boiled it down (110 Celsius) and the floaters turned brown so im thinking its leftover bacteria from fermenting.