Common Salt

Chemical Properties

• Crystals or white crystalline powder.
• Transparent and colorless in crystalline form – rather like ice.
• Crystallizes in the isometric system, usually in the form of cubes.
• Soluble in water (35.6g/100g at 0°C and 39.2g/100g at 100°).
• Slightly soluble in alcohol, but insoluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid.
• Melts at 801°C and begins to vaporize at temperatures just slightly above this boiling point 1,413°C.
• The hardness of 2.5 on the MOH scale of hardness.
• The specific gravity of 2.165.
• Non-combustible – low toxicity.
• Hygroscopic – absorbs moisture from damp atmospheres above 75 percent relative humidity – below this, it will dry

Uses
Salt is used in many cuisines around the world, and it is often found in salt shakers on diners’ eating tables for their personal use on food. Salt is also an ingredient in many manufactured foodstuffs. Table salt is a refined salt containing about 97 to 99 percent sodium chloride