In its aqueous form, sodium chloride (NaCl) is known as salt and occurs naturally in oceans and sea water as well as being mined as rock salt. It is used as a food seasoning, to preserve and to flavour food. It is also used to make table salt. NaCl is a white crystalline solid that dissolves in water to form an ionic compound consisting of the sodium cation and the chlorine anion.
In the crystal structure of NaCl, each chloride ion is surrounded by six sodium ions in a regular face-centered cubic lattice and the ions interpenetrating the cubes create an octahedral void pattern. This is called close-packing. In solution, when the sodium ions are solvated in water, they can interact with the water molecules and their electrical charge interactions cause vibrations of the crystal structure. This gives rise to the salt-and-water vibration theory of surface tension.
It has been shown that a simple semiempirical equation describes quite accurately the concentration dependence of surface tension of aqueous sodium chloride up to infinite dilution. This model is based on one Margules term and a Debye-Huckel parameter.
When electricity is passed through a solution of aqueous sodium chloride, the cathode produces hydrogen gas and chlorine gas. The hydrogen gas reacts with the water to produce hydroxyl (HO) which then forms a solution of Sodium hydroxideNaOH. This solution is often called brine and is used in meat packing and pickling as a preservative. American Elements is pleased to offer a wide range of moderate to highly concentrated sodium chloride solutions up to the maximum stoichiometric concentration. These solutions are available in 55 gallon drums and liquid totes.