Final answer:
In an exothermic reaction involving acetate and iron acetate solution, adding steel wool and reducing the solution's volume would likely intensify the heat released due to increased concentration of reactants.
Step-by-step explanation:
An exothermic reaction is a chemical process that releases energy, usually in the form of heat. The question refers to an exothermic process involving acetate and iron acetate solution. By adding 2 grams of steel wool to the acetate and reducing the volume of the iron acetate solution to 50 mL, we effectively concentrate the reactants. If this reaction were to be exothermic in nature, concentrating the reactants should increase the intensity of heat released, as more reactant particles would be present in a smaller volume, potentially leading to a greater frequency of effective collisions and thus more vigorous exothermic reactions.
As a practical example, the thermite reaction, where powdered aluminum reacts with iron(III) oxide to produce molten iron, is an intensely exothermic process. This demonstrates how certain reactions can release enough energy to cause dramatic physical changes, such as melting steel.