Remove the stopper. Add a few small crystals of sodium acetate trihydrate to each flask. Note the results. Swirl the 2 flasks without precipitate. Students may wish to feel the bottom of the flask with precipitate.
Students interpret the results in terms of their observations.
The terms saturated, unsaturated, and supersaturated are descriptions of the relative concentrations of dissolved crystals at a given temperature. A saturated solution contains the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved at a given temperature. Saturation is the limit of solubility. An unsaturated solution contains less than the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved at a given temperature. A supersaturated solution contains more than the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved at equilibrium at a given temperature.