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Salt helps to melt ice because it?

Updated: 8/11/2023
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9y ago

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Salt lowers the freezing point of water, as will any solute that impedes the change in phase. When it does so, it affects the phase equilibrium, which has as many molecules melting as refreezing. Any ice and snow that melts cannot refreeze unless a much lower temperature is reached.

Salt is basically an impurity, which, when mixed with snow or ice, causes its freezing point to decrease so that the snow (which ought to freeze at 0°C) freezes at a lower temperature. and effectively causes the snow above that temperature to melt. If you live in an area with a cold and icy winter, you have probably seen salt used on sidewalks and roads to keep them ice-free. The salt works by lowering the melting or freezing point of water. The effect is termed 'freezing point depression'.

When you add salt to water, you introduce dissolved foreign particles into the water. The freezing point of water becomes lower as more particles are added until the point where the salt stops dissolving. For a solution of table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) in water, this temperature is -21°C (-6°F) under controlled lab conditions. In the real world, on a real sidewalk, sodium chloride can melt ice only down to about -9°C (15°F).

Freezing point depression is a colligative property of water. A colligative property is one which depends on the number of particles in a substance. All liquid solvents with dissolved particles (solutes) demonstrate colligative properties. Other colligative properties include boiling point elevation, vapor pressure lowering, and osmotic pressure.

Sodium chloride isn't the only salt used for de-icing, nor is it necessarily the best choice (although it is usually the cheapest). Sodium chloride dissolves into two types of particles: one sodium ion and one chloride ion per sodium chloride 'molecule'. A compound that yields more ions into a water solution would lower the freezing point of water more than salt. For example, calcium chloride (CaCl2) dissolves into three ions (one of calcium and two of chloride) and lowers the freezing point of water more than sodium chloride.

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12y ago
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9y ago

Salt melts ice because adding salt lowers the freezing point of the water. Though it doesn't work unless there is a little water available with the ice. Molecules on the surface escape into the water causing melting.

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10y ago

Dissolution of sodium chloride in water release the heat of dissolutin and the temperature increase (and freezing point of the mixture decrease).

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12y ago

salt lowers the freezing point of water causing it to be melted easily until 0 degrees F

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Q: Salt helps to melt ice because it?
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Related questions

What does sea salt do to ice?

When sea salt is added to ice, it lowers the freezing point of the ice. This helps to melt the ice, because in order for it to stay frozen the temperature would have to drop further.


Is salt the same as ice melt?

no, but ice melt is a salt


When you add salt to ice what happens to the melting point of the ice?

Adding salt to ice decreases its melting point. Adding salt to the top of ice helps melt the ice faster.


Why does salt melt ice cubes faster?

salt melts ice because it wants it to die


Why does ice melt at a lower temperature with salt?

It's due to the material in the salt that allows the ice's mass to lower. The temperature doesn't effect the process in a good way. Actually, it helps the ice melt more with the salt material.


What melts ice cubes faster sugar salt or food dye?

Salt would melt the ice cube faster because if you have noticed, people put down salt to melt the ice.


What melt ice faster sand or clay?

Sand melts ice faster because it has salt and the salt makes it melt alot faster than clay.


Why do people use salt on icy roads?

because it will melt the ice on the sidewalks.


Will popcorn salt melt ice?

Yes, the salt on popcorn is common table salt, which can be used to melt ice.


What is in salt water that it can melt ice?

salt. salt melts ice.


Does sugar melt ice?

It doesn't melt faster but it does melt at a lower temperature. This is because the sugar molecules mix in with the water molecules and prevent them from organizing to form a solid. For more information, look up 'colligative properties,' these are the properties of solutions.


Why does salty ice cube melts faster than sugary ice cubes?

because the salt makes the ice melt and if it is just ice tht means theres no salt so it wont melt as fast