What is Salt: Definition and 273 Discussions

Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater. The open ocean has about 35 grams (1.2 oz) of solids per liter of sea water, a salinity of 3.5%.
Salt is essential for life in general, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous food seasonings, and salting is an important method of food preservation.
Some of the earliest evidence of salt processing dates to around 6,000 BC, when people living in the area of present-day Romania boiled spring water to extract salts; a salt-works in China dates to approximately the same period. Salt was also prized by the ancient Hebrews, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Hittites, Egyptians, and the Indians. Salt became an important article of trade and was transported by boat across the Mediterranean Sea, along specially built salt roads, and across the Sahara on camel caravans. The scarcity and universal need for salt have led nations to go to war over it and use it to raise tax revenues. Salt is used in religious ceremonies and has other cultural and traditional significance.
Salt is processed from salt mines, and by the evaporation of seawater (sea salt) and mineral-rich spring water in shallow pools. Its major industrial products are caustic soda and chlorine; salt is used in many industrial processes including the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride, plastics, paper pulp and many other products. Of the annual global production of around two hundred million tonnes of salt, about 6% is used for human consumption. Other uses include water conditioning processes, de-icing highways, and agricultural use. Edible salt is sold in forms such as sea salt and table salt which usually contains an anti-caking agent and may be iodised to prevent iodine deficiency. As well as its use in cooking and at the table, salt is present in many processed foods.
Sodium is an essential nutrient for human health via its role as an electrolyte and osmotic solute. Excessive salt consumption may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, in children and adults. Such health effects of salt have long been studied. Accordingly, numerous world health associations and experts in developed countries recommend reducing consumption of popular salty foods. The World Health Organization recommends that adults consume less than 2,000 mg of sodium, equivalent to 5 grams of salt per day.

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  1. A

    Compare the conductance of an insoluble salt with soluble one

    Options (a) and (b) are facts and therefore correct. Since ionic bonds weaken with temperature, ionic mobilities should increase with temperature. Also in physics, we learnt that the resistance of every material other than conductors (i.e. semi-conductors, insulators and electrolytes decreases...
  2. C

    Saltwater fish in Freshwater diluted with salt

    Suppose I dilute a freshwater tank with an appropriate amount of salt, will saltwater fish be able to live in it? if not, then why?
  3. kyphysics

    After Dissolving Salt in Boiling Water, How Do You Get it Back?

    in solid form (the salt that is)? I had to try to answer this question for my 14 y/o cousin and think I may have messed it up. Good thing she knows I suck at science and to ASK HER TEACHER next time! :smile: Anyways, it got me curious. . .I first thought of just reversing the process. Since...
  4. Astronuc

    B Hot white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs discovered with SALT, MNRAS

    https://phys.org/news/2023-01-astronomers-super-hot-stars.html https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/519/2/2321/6967306?login=false
  5. W

    A Winter Conundrum - climbing salt

    Per photo, snow and salt melted off my boots treads seems to have "climbed" out the the tray where I keep them. I find this absolutely bizarre. Any thoughts?
  6. D

    Effect of HCl on NaCl crystallization rate

    I came across a book that said if you add HCl (acid) to a saturated NaCl solution, then the crystallization process of that salt will be accelerated. Is this true, and if so, how? Edit: As it is with these things, I find the solution immediately after making this post. Here is a youtube video:
  7. wnvl2

    Salt bridge and electical field

    Is it correct that a salt bridge in a Galvanic cell makes that there is no electrical field between the solutions of the two hallf cells? Does that mean that the electrical potential (I do not write electrochemical potential) between both solutions is zero in an ideal world? Is it also possible...
  8. Bernadette

    B Exploring Entropy with Svante Arrhenius' Salt Water Experiment

    Hello Sorry for my English... We approach slowly (in a quasi-reversible way) an electrical charge of a glass of salt water. Some ions arrange themselves in the glass. What can we say about entropy of this transformation? Bernadette PS: My reflection comes from reading an old physics book...
  9. mishima

    Identification test for Rochelle Salt?

    Hi, I have a high school student who supposedly synthesized a large quantity of Rochelle salt. I was looking for a conclusive chemical test to verify that it was indeed produced. This isn't because I actually suspect anything weird in the student project, its only for educational purposes...
  10. A

    Mono-esterify a mono-phosphate salt group to a carboxylic acid

    I am interested to see if anyone knows the easiest way to mono-esterify a mono-phosphate salt group to a carboxylic acid. How to facilitate the resultant -> product ? CH3COOH + NaH2PO4 ‐> C2H4NaO5P + H20
  11. I

    Creating Buffers: Salt or Acid/Base Pair?

    Does there have to be both a salt and the conjugate acid/base of the anion/cation to create a buffer? Or can just a salt (e.g. ammonium formate) be a buffer? Does a buffer require a salt that contains the same conjugate base as the acid, or not necessarily? Thanks.
  12. N

    What is salt that has a green colour?

    What are salt that have green colour?
  13. T

    Question about Molten Salt Fast Reactors

    This is in regards to the Molten Salt Fast Reactor ( MSFR). Two companies in the United States are designing the MSFR using NaCl as the carrier salt along with liquid fuel salt in the reactor. There is no moderator. The chlorine used in the NaCl salt must be nearly pure Cl-37. Chlorine in...
  14. S

    Is there a property that defines how much water a hygroscopic salt can absorb?

    Is there some property that I can look up which would tell me how much water a hygroscopic salt can absorb (per unit mass of salt; for example anhydrous lithium chloride) before it's saturated and won't absorb any more?
  15. jaumzaum

    Do we need salt bridges in Electrolytic cells?

    I was wondering if we really need salt bridges when doing Electrolysis. I would answer yes, because we need to neutralize the charges in both sides, or the potential difference of the Electrolytic cell will keep increasing until the generator that is connected to it is not able to supply any...
  16. Astronuc

    Mag 5.7 earthquake, Salt City, UT

    5.7 magnitude earthquake in Utah knocks out power to thousands and diverts flights https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/18/us/utah-earthquake/index.html M 5.7 - 6km NNE of Magna, Utah, 15.8 km (9.8 mi) E of Salt Lake City https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/uu60363602/executive 2020-03-18...
  17. vis viva

    Water, salt and a green Jello electret....

    I'm asking the question because I'm interested in learning more about how ionic compounds behave in and around electric fields. I'm not actually going to make the proposed electret. The color of the Jello is irrelevant, and Jello may not yield an everlasting electrect, so it's more about the...
  18. E

    Starting a molten salt reactor

    I've been thinking about molten salt reactors a fair bit here and there, and one thing that I keep wondering about is how do they start? Ie How does one take a system of pipes, pumps heat exhangers etc, filled with a solid salt at room temp, to melt that salt, and then operate? Or is the...
  19. Kaushik

    Chemistry Finding the pH of this acid and its sodium salt solution

    For finding the pH of the acid, I made use of the equilibrium law (or the law of mass action) to arrive at the degree of dissociation which I later used to get the [H+] concentration. I am stuck in finding the pH of the salt solution. ##CH2ClOO^- + H2O <---> CHClOOH + OH^-## Could you please...
  20. H

    Thermodynamics: Why does salt lower the melting point of ice?

    There was a question on "Why salt lower the freezing point of water?"I found the following answer."Thermodynamics teaches that a loss of entropy can be overcome by a gain in so called enthalpy". The loss of entropy by freezing the solution canbe over come at temperature much below 0 degree C...
  21. Tryhard314

    Salt water and potential difference

    Imagine a container of salt water at 0V (Relative to ground),Now you've put in it 2 electrodes,one at +500V (Electrode A), The other at +250V(Electrode b), Normally positive ions should go to the negative electrode , and Negative ions should go to the positive electrode , But in our example the...
  22. S

    Store wood in old salt mines to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere

    If trees are cut and then burned they have not reduced the CO2 in the atmosphere at all. And if they are left in the forest and then rot 90% of their mass also go back into the atmosphere. Here in Germany we have many old salt mines. I wonder if it would be a good idea to cut trees and store...
  23. R

    Understanding nucleation of salt deposits (mixing waters)

    I am trying to understand the nucleation process of salt deposits, if someone here could give me a point in the right direction it would be really appreciated. I read that if you have a water rich in sulfates, and mix with a water rich in barium ions, calcium ions or strontium ions, that a seed...
  24. F

    Functioning Molten Salt Reactors: Who Has Made Progress in Their Development?

    Summary: Has there been a functioning molten salt reactor or how far has the development of one reached? By who? Has there been a functioning molten salt reactor or how far has the development of one reached? By who?
  25. K

    Salt of weak acid and base

    Because of character limit I have exposed my question in the attached pdf
  26. C

    At what wind speed will salt water "boil"?

    During hurricane Lenny in 1999, I was anchored on my sailboat in a protected cove in the Virgin Islands. The winds were about 60 mph with gusts to an estimated 80 mph where we were. I observed that during the gusts, the salt water would "boil", that is, totally evaporate the surface into a cloud...
  27. lekh2003

    Why does salt reduce the freezing point of water?

    I've been looking into how adding sodium chloride or calcium chloride to snow reduces the freezing point, and why this occurs. The really simple reason I found on this website: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-salt-melts-ice-3976057 , which simply stated that the salt ions get in the way of the...
  28. G

    Just how safe are molten salt and pebble bed reactors?

    According to popular news, these two kinds of reactor designs can never cause another Chernobyl or Fukushima, the polluting of a vast area of land and rendering it uninhabitable for a vast length of time. I just want to know how true this is. If so, it is really good news, and the world can...
  29. J

    Determining Solubility in Acidic Solutions / Pure Water

    Homework Statement How many of the following would you NOT expect to be more soluble in acid than in pure water? FeS, CuCN, AlPO4, BaCO3, AgCl Homework Equations None necessary The Attempt at a Solution So we know that anything with OH- or anything that has the conjugate base of a weak acid...
  30. R

    Oil-Water-Salt - What's the force at work here?

    Hi, This is something I observed in the kitchen when I was cooking something. I had put some water in a vessel, to which, I added couple of spoons of oil. The oil formed large droplets on water surface. I then sprinkled normal table salt crystals on to the water surface and they sank to the...
  31. MermaidWonders

    MHB Analysing Salt Buildup in Water Reservoirs

    Alright... Here's one I encountered today. Suppose the water reservoir holds 100 million gallons of water and supplies a city with 1 million gallons a day. The reservoir is partly refilled by a spring which provides 0.9 million gallons a day and the rest of the water, 0.1 million gallons a...
  32. yecko

    ODE problem -- Find the amount salt in the tank as water flows through it

    Homework Statement A tank originally contains 100 gal of fresh water. Then water containing 1/2 lb of salt per gallon is poured into the tank at a rate of 2 gal/min, and the mixture is allowed to leave at the same rate. After 10 min the process is stopped, and fresh water is poured into the...
  33. V

    Why don't acids react with neutral salts in solution?

    Hi I am new to the concept of neutralization. My teacher told me that acids do not react with neutral salts. I want to know why not. If both are dissolved in water and both completely dissociate, why can't the ions of acid and salt exchange and perform a double displacement reaction. Moreover I...
  34. ISamson

    Salt vs Sugar: Which is More Harmful to the Human Body?

    During these days, I have asked my mother: What is better/worse for the human body: salt or sugar? Both of these substances are quite dangerous in high amounts, but which one is worse? Salt was used in food preservation, with its abilities (Which abilities? I have never understood this...) and...
  35. mktsgm

    Medical Effects of salt consumption

    It is generally said that excess salt consumption leads to water accumulation as a compensating mechanism as the cations of sodium builds up excessively. My doubt is, if the sodium chloride (salt) consists of chloride (anions) as many as sodium (cations), don't the net effect of the increase of...
  36. C

    Volume of Gasses Obtained by Electrolysis of Salt Solution

    Hello everybody!How can I calculate the volume of gasses produced by electrolysis of an aqueous solution of NaNO3 if the mass fraction of the salt changed from 40% to 60% (before electrolysis the mass fraction of the salt was 40% and after electrolysis it changed to 60%)? Pressure and...
  37. A

    Calculating/3D Modeling Salt Water Current Paths

    Just to clarify, this is not a homework or coursework question. I was wondering, if you have a large container of salt water and place two electrodes on either side, the current will pass from one electrode to the other through the salt water medium. Is the a way to calulate or 3D model the...
  38. V

    I Why is cooling with salt and ice so effective?

    I have seen this experiment with cooling down a beer: My question is why is cooling so effective? I was thinking about it and my guess is: Salt breaks down a bond in ice crystals, but this reaction needs energy. It took a energy from environment and all around is cooled down. Are my ideas fine?
  39. Monsterboy

    Solve Water & Salt Problem in 5 Hrs

    Homework Statement A tank contains 800 gal of water in which 200 lb of salt is dissolved. Two gallons of fresh water runs in per minute, and 2 gal of the mixture in the tank, kept uniform by stirring, runs out per minute. How much salt is left in the tank after 5 hours ? Homework Equations...
  40. H

    Molar Enthalpy of Salt: Calculation and Heat Sources

    So for a lab I had to test three different salt Nh4Cl,KN03 and LiCl. I found the heat of each of them and then in turn found the molar enthalpy by using N*molar enthalpy=-heat. When finding my heat and using equation mcΔt would I use the mass of the water or the mass of the water and the salt?
  41. J

    Concentration of a salt produced by neutralization reaction

    Homework Statement 10.00 cm3 of 1.00 mol dm–3 sulfuric acid is fully neutralized by 20.00 cm3 of 1.00 mol dm–3 of sodium hydroxide. What is the concentration, in mol dm–3, of sodium sulfate solution produced by the reaction? A 0.33 B 0.50 C 0.67 D 1.00 Correct answer = A Homework Equations...
  42. N

    Production of table salt

    I don't know if it really fits in here, but I was wondering something the other day. Imagine you have a completely sealed small transparent room completely filled with chlorine gas, that doesn't contain a ppb of anything else. Now imagine I'm able to teleport a chunk of pure sodium in there...
  43. Natalie456

    Salt Bridges in Cells: Voltage & Distance

    I know that salt bridges maintain charge, thus allowing the reaction to proceed. I was wondering if the distance of the electrodes from the salt bridge affects the voltage of the cell in any way. Thanks!
  44. Jane Bondarenko

    Salt concentration and its electrical resistance

    What would be the theoretical relationship between/ a formula for the salt concentration in distilled water and its electrical resistance?
  45. B

    Magnesium salt of EDTA is the same as EDTA-2NaMg?

    I was reading through the standard complexiometric method of determining hardness in water, and the procedure mentioned the use of the magnesium salt of EDTA. I looked up online to purchase this reagent but all I could find was disodium magnesium salt of EDTA. Are they one and the same? Thanks!
  46. Peter Hessellund

    How quickly do ocean spray droplets dry into solid salt particles?

    When a bubble in the ocean bursts water drops are thrown into the air. How fast do these water drops dry out creating solid salt particles? There must be a formula for calculating this and I am guessing that the following variables must figure in the formula: - Droplet size - Salt concentration...
  47. L

    How to write equations for salt dissolving in water/ionizing

    Homework Statement Write separate equations for each potassium salt (KH2PO4) dissolving in water and for the ionization reaction of the weak acid anion that each of these salts contains. Homework Equations None The Attempt at a Solution I just needed to clarify when it dissolves in water do...
  48. Misha Kuznetsov

    Voltage applied to urchin-like iron spheres in salt water?

    Hello, if I had salt water and put microscopic spheres with iron spikes in (a lot of them, say 1,000). Then if a high static charge was applied to the water (say 500,000 volts), what would happen? My intuition tells me that the electric field would concentrate on the tips of the spikes, making...
  49. KarolinaPL

    Silver Salt Solubility: RCOOAg Solubility

    What is the solubility of silver salt of the formula RCOOAg (RCOO=phenylbutyrate, DMF, MeOH, water?)
  50. T

    B Himalayan salt & candle wax

    Ok i really need some help i want to make candles but i want to have himalayan pink salt dissolved in the wax I've tried but just can't get it to work... is there anyway at all that i can get the salt to dissolve? Please there's got to be away... thank you for ur time...
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