Salt and Ice

[Target1911]

Hope this confuses everyone.

Absolutly...................
That is a little deeper explanation than I was looking for but I now know even more than before.


Sooooo..... how DOES it lower the freezing temp of water?

[Keith B]

Sooooo..... how DOES it lower the freezing temp of water?

The salt causes the freezing point to be lower because of the new mixture of chemicals. This is called the 'Colligative properties'. Same thing of mixing glycol or antifreeze to water and the new mixture won't freeze until it reaches the lower freezing point of the newly combined chemicals. For the full explaination, see http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Ce-Co ... rties.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[WildBill]

Sooooo..... how DOES it lower the freezing temp of water?

The salt causes the freezing point to be lower because of the new mixture of chemicals. This is called the 'Colligative properties'. Same thing of mixing glycol or antifreeze to water and the new mixture won't freeze until it reaches the lower freezing point of the newly combined chemicals. For the full explaination, see http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Ce-Co ... rties.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All this science talk makes me want a bowl of chocolate ice cream.

[Keith B]

Sooooo..... how DOES it lower the freezing temp of water?

The salt causes the freezing point to be lower because of the new mixture of chemicals. This is called the 'Colligative properties'. Same thing of mixing glycol or antifreeze to water and the new mixture won't freeze until it reaches the lower freezing point of the newly combined chemicals. For the full explaination, see http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Ce-Co ... rties.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All this science talk makes me want a bowl of chocolate ice cream.

[longtooth]

That makes sence..... on the other end of the question, why does it make it so cold that it will freeze a can of soda to the point of busting?

As others have said, the salt in the water actually lowers the freezing point of water, normally 32º F (0º C). Depending on the ratio of salt to water, the freezing point will be much lower. A 10-percent salt solution freezes at 20º F (-6º C), and a 20-percent solution freezes at 2º F (-16º C). So, with the freezing point of soda being around 32º F, with the water temp being so much lower, the soda will freeze extremely solid to the point of busting. The same process is what makes ice cream in the home-made freezer freeze.

HHuuuummm. I just knew it worked. Now I know a lot more than I really need to understand to keep Moms steps safe & the Grandones sweet tooth happy.

[jimlongley]

And there is a corrolarry - if you use salt to melt ice, some of the solution will be 10% and some will be more, and some will be less, and if the temperature stays low, or goes lower, the solution that exists in a liquid state will refreeze and possibly become more of a hazard than it was to begin with. This is why most northern states use Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride and other salts or combinations of the same that reduce the temperature of the solution's freezing point even more so, even though this strategy can also lead to problems.

I have several really neat pictures from the time we took our ship north of the Arctic Circle and tried to sink it by accumulating massive amounts of ice on the forward superstructure, sea water ice. It was cold enough that spray sent into the air as the ship made way froze in the air and bounced down the deck like hail.



That's me on the left enjoying a brisk turn on deck, right before the film froze and broke inside the camera.