Understanding of Salt

Sodium chloride or common salt is the chemical compound NaCl, composed of the elements sodium and chloride. Salt occurs naturally in many parts of the world as the mineral halite and as mixed evaporates in salt lakes. Sea water has lots of salt; it contains an average of 2.7% (by weight) NaCl, or 78 million metric tons per cubic kilometer, an inexhaustible supply. Underground salt deposits are found in both bedded sedimentary layers and domal deposits. Deposits have been found to have encapsulated ancient microorganisms including bacteria.

Salt even arrives on earth from outer space in meteors and its presence on the planet Mars makes scientists think life may exist there. It can be modified by temperature and salt crystals have been photographed under a microscope. It varies in color from colorless, when pure, to white, gray or brownish, typical of rock salt (halite). Chemically, it is 60.663% elemental chlorine (Cl) and 39.337% sodium(Na). The atomic weight of elemental chlorine is 35.4527 and that of sodium is 22.989768.