Types of Salt Melting Ice
Most recent answer: 10/12/2017
Q:
do different types of salt matter when melting ice i.e. Potassium cholidesodium cholideleage of legens salt
- Jeffrey (age 7)
New York, New York, USA
- Jeffrey (age 7)
New York, New York, USA
A:
The type of salt makes little difference for the basic melting. A mole of each type of salt has nearly the same effect on the melting temperature of say 1kg of ice. Some salts release some heat as they dissolve which speeds the melting process a little. Others soak up some heat which slows it down. The weight of one mole varies from salt to salt, so the weight needed to melt the ice also varies. Some salts create more environmental problems than others. Still, the core effect- lowering the melting temperature- is fundamentally the same for all of them.
Mike W.
(published on 10/12/2017)