From Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary:
Main Entry: 1salt
Pronunciation: 'solt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English sealt; akin to Old High German salz salt, Lithuanian saldus
sweet, Latin sal salt, Greek hals salt, sea
Date: before 12th century
1 a : a crystalline compound NaCl that consists of sodium chloride, is abundant
in nature, and is used especially to season or preserve food or in industry --
called also common salt
b : a substance (as washing soda) resembling common salt
c : plural
(1) : a mineral or saline mixture (as Epsom salts) used as an aperient or
cathartic
(2) :
SMELLING
SALTS
d : any of numerous compounds that result from replacement of part or all of
the acid hydrogen of an acid by a metal or a group acting like a metal : an
ionic crystalline compound
2 : a container for salt at table -- often used in the phrases above the salt and
below the salt alluding to the former custom of seating persons of higher
rank above and those of lower rank below a saltcellar placed in the middle
of a long table
3 a : an ingredient that gives savor, piquancy, or zest :
FLAVOR
<a people... full
of life, vigor, and the salt of personality -- Clifton Fadiman>
b : sharpness of wit :
PUNGENCY
c :
COMMON SENSE
d :
RESERVE,
SKEPTICISM -- usually used in the phrases with a grain of salt and
with a pinch of salt
e : a dependable steadfast person or group of people -- usually used in the
phrase salt of the earth
4 : SAILOR
<a tale worthy of an old salt>
5 : KEEP
-- usually used in the phrase worth one's salt
- salt·like /-"lIk/ adjective
|
NaCl Vital Statistics
|
| Formula: |
NaCl |
| Hill System Formula: |
Cl1Na1 |
| CAS Registry Number: |
[7647-14-5] |
| Formula Weight: |
58.4428 |
| Class: |
Choloride |
| Crystal System: |
Cubic |
| Lattice Type: |
Face-Centered |
| Space Group: |
Fm3m, No. 225 |
| Cell Parameters: |
a = 5.6402 Å, Z=4 |
| Atomic Positions: |
Cl: 0, 0, 0 Na: 0.5, 0.5, 0.5 |
| Density: |
2.17 |
| Color: |
White |
| Appearance: |
crystalline solid |
| Melting point: |
801°C |
| Boiling point: |
1413°C; 1465°C |
| Density: |
2170 kg m-3 |
Atomic weight - Na:
Atomic weight - Cl: |
22.989768 (39.337%)
35.4527 (60.663%) |
| Eutectic composition: |
23.31% NaCl |
| Freezing point of eutectic mixture: |
-21.12° C (-6.016°F) |
| Crystal form: |
isometric, cubic |
| Color: |
clear to white |
| Index of refraction: |
1.5442 |
| Density or specific gravity: |
2.165 (135 lb/ft3) |
| Bulk density, approximate (dry, ASTM D 632 gradation): |
1.154 (72 lb/ft3) |
| Angle of repose (dry, ASTM D 632 gradation): |
32° |
| Melting point: |
800.8° C (1,473.4° F) |
| Boiling point: |
1,465°C (2,669° F) |
| Hardness (Moh's Scale): |
2.5 |
| Critical humidity at 20 °C, (68° F): |
75.3% |
| pH of aqueous solution: |
neutral |
| Alternate Names: |
Halite, rock salt, sea salt, table salt, salt |
| Isostructural Compounds: |
MgO, TiO, TiC, LaN, NaI, KCl, RbF, AgCl, SrS |
Different Types of Consumable Salt:
 | Pickling (or Canning) Salt
 | fine-grained salt used to make brines for pickles, sauerkraut, etc. |
| it contains no additives, which would cloud the brine |
|
| Kosher Salt
| a (mostly) additive-free coarse-grained salt
 | Diamond Crystal brand is additive free |
| Morton brand has "yellow prussiate of soda" added as an anti-caking agent |
|
| Qualities: flattened cubes and fused flattened cubes; very dry and hard; dissolves slowly; mild |
|
| Table salt
| a fine-grained refined salt with additives that make it free-flowing, is mainly used in cooking and as a
table condiment |
| Qualities: |
|
| Iodized Salt
| table salt with added iodine (sodium iodide) — particularly important in areas that lack natural
iodine, an important preventative for hypothyroidism |
| Qualities: same as table salt except with iodine added |
|
| Sea Salt
| used down through the ages and is the result of the evaporation of sea water — the more costly of the
two processes |
| it comes in fine-grained or larger crystals |
| Qualities: same as table salt but flavors vary depending on from what part of the
ocean it was extracted |
|
| Rock Salt
| comes in large chunky crystals and is intended primarily for use in home ice cream churns |
| must use a grinder if intended to be used in cooking |
|
| Sel gris
| solar-evaporated salt from the northern Atlantic coast of France |
| Qualities: Hard, moist gray crystals of solar-evaporated; briny; sweet; delicate; dissolves slowly |
|
| Fleur de sel
| solar-evaporated salt from the northern Atlantic coast of France |
| Qualities: Hard, slightly moist white crystals; briny; sweet; delicate; dissolves slowly |
|
| Hawaiian Alae
| pale-orange crystals; hard, dry; slight taste of iron; silky from natural clay |
|
| Black Salt (Kala namak)
| large rocks or fine powder; pale violet to purple-black; strong sulfuric aroma; earthy |
|
| Sour Salt
| also called citric salt |
| extracted from acidic fruits, such as lemons and limes |
| it's used to add tartness to traditional dishes like Borscht |
|
| Seasoned Salt
| regular salt combined with other flavoring ingredients |
| examples: onion salt, garlic salt and celery salt |
|
| Salt Substitutes
| frequently used by those on low-salt diets, are products containing little or no sodium |
|
Material Safety Data Sheet for Sodium Chloride
|
