March 31st was National Bunsen Burner Day. Bunsen (1811-1899) should be remembered. After all, the “Bunsen Burner” is a typical symbol of chemistry. But there is more to Bunsen than just a burner....
Why is it that in hot countries we put salt on ice in the ice cream makers to keep the ice from melting, while in cold countries we put salt on ice to melt it? In both cases, the answer is based on...
Nitrates and nitrites are used to "cure" meat. Their role was likely discovered by accident and can be traced to the use of salt that happened to be contaminated with potassium or sodium nitrate,...
Perhaps surprisingly, only about 15% of our salt intake comes from the salt shaker, the rest is found in the plethora of processed foods we consume. All that salt adds up to about 10 grams a day...
When back in 1811 Bernard Courtois noticed the violet fumes produced when his seaweed extraction tank was being cleaned, he could have never dreamed that he had set the stage for one of the most...
In Roman times slaves were used to mine salt. It was not a pleasant chore. But today in the Ukraine some people willingly spend several hours a day in a salt mine. They are not there, though, to...
Some commercial varieties of salt have small amounts of sodium ferrocyanide added to prevent the caking (or clumping) that can occur under various conditions. When humidity is high, for example, a...
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