Table Salt Crystals

Table salt also known as sodium chloride is a crystal a symmetrical solid substance made entirely of the same material.

Table salt crystals.

Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride nacl a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts. You can see the shape of a salt crystal under a microscope and you can grow your own salt crystals for fun or for a science fair. An easy way to make salt crystals is to dissolve table salt in water and leave the solution somewhere warm until the water evaporates leaving behind sparkly salt crystals. Epsom salt grows into smaller needle like crystals but grows more quickly than table salt.

Salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite salt is present in vast quantities in seawater where it is the main mineral constituent the open ocean has about 35 grams 1 2 oz of solids per liter of sea water a salinity of 3 5. Buy it at a pharmacy. Alum grow quickly sometimes making visible crystals within a few hours. This activity and more salt science experiments can be found in an salt science activity sheet made as part of a collaboration with the primary science teaching.