Saltwater to Salt - Takes a Little Cold
Most recent answer: 10/22/2007
Q:
Can you get salt by freezig saltwater
- Douglas F. Seamone (age 12)
Faith Middle School, Ft. Benning G.A.
- Douglas F. Seamone (age 12)
Faith Middle School, Ft. Benning G.A.
A:
Douglas -
Yes! This is actually one of the ways that water purification plants get freshwater from saltwater. If you freeze the saltwater very slowly, the first part that will start to freeze will be just a few molecules of plain water. (This is because freshwater freezes at a higher temperature than saltwater.) Once this has happened, more molecules of water will stick to the first ones, forming an ice crystal that gradually gets larger. As the ice crystal grows, the salty part gets more and more salty (since the water molecules are being taken out of it). Eventually, the salty part will be so salty that the salt will start forming crystals of its own. So you get separate crystals of ice and salt.
-Tamara
Yes! This is actually one of the ways that water purification plants get freshwater from saltwater. If you freeze the saltwater very slowly, the first part that will start to freeze will be just a few molecules of plain water. (This is because freshwater freezes at a higher temperature than saltwater.) Once this has happened, more molecules of water will stick to the first ones, forming an ice crystal that gradually gets larger. As the ice crystal grows, the salty part gets more and more salty (since the water molecules are being taken out of it). Eventually, the salty part will be so salty that the salt will start forming crystals of its own. So you get separate crystals of ice and salt.
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)