Saturated Saltwater
Most recent answer: 05/24/2016
Q:
According to an answer on your website about how saturated saltwater can get, it's 23.3% salt by weight. When we visited salt mines in Austria, the guide told us that the briny water in the salt mines was 27% salt. Is that possible?
- Zach (age 11)
La Mesa, CA
- Zach (age 11)
La Mesa, CA
A:
I think this is the question to which you're referring: https://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1722.
That 23.3% by weight is the saturation concentration at the lowest temperature (about -21°C) for which the pure liquid is stable. At lower temperatures some ice forms. At room temperature the saturation concentration is about 27%, just as your guide said.
Mike W.
(published on 05/24/2016)