Salt is one of the most common minerals in the world, many of us take it for granted that it comes from the sea and that it’s just that plain white powder we put on our food. Although this is all true, salt has a much deeper background.
Salt also known is a mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of ionic salts. It forms in translucent white cubic crystals and occurs commonly in the mineral form, halite, also called rock salt. It can be formed by theacid-base reaction of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide:
HCl + NaOH à H2O + NaCl
Chloride and sodium ions, the two major components of salt, and are needed by all known living creatures in small quantities. Salt is involved in regulating the water content of the body. The sodium ion itself is used for electrical signaling in the nervous system.
Salt is currently mass-produced by evaporation of seawater or brine from brine wells and salt lakes. Mining of rock salt is also a major source.
Sodium chloride is also used to produce sodium carbonate and calcium chloride. Sodium carbonate is used to produce glass, sodium bicarbonate, and dyes as well as myriad other chemicals. (For more info on sodium carbonate look at my post: sodium-bicarbonate)
Salt is considered one of the most important substances for humans, may have head that in the past, it was as important as gold, so now you know, we all have a small treasure in our kitchens!
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