Table Salt

                                       Table Salt  

         

Other Name: Sodium Chloride        

Chemical Formula:  NaCl    

Used: used in cooking

Properties: Mineral substance of great importance. The mineral form halite, or rock salt, is sometimes called common salt to distinguish it from a class of chemical compounds called salts.

Properties of common salt are shown in the table. Salt is essential to the health of both people and animals. Table salt, used universally as a seasoning, is fine-grained and of high purity. To ensure that this hygroscopic (i.e., water-attracting) substance will remain free-flowing when exposed to the atmosphere, small quantities of sodium aluminosilicate, tricalcium phosphate, or magnesium silicate are added.Iodized salt—that is, salt to which small quantities of potassium iodide have been added—is widely used in areas where iodine is lacking from the diet, a deficiency that can cause swelling of the thyroid gland, commonly called goitre. Livestock also require salt; it is often made available in solid blocks.