Sodium chloride NaCl (Cooking salt or Table salt)

Sodium chloride NaCl (Cooking salt or Table salt):

Sodium chloride is isolated by evaporation from sea water which contains 2.7 to 2.9% by mass. Approximately 50 lakh tons of salt are produced annually in India by solar evaporation. Crude sodium chloride can be obtained by crystallisation of brine solution which contains sodium sulphate, calcium sulphate, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride as impurities. Pure sodium chloride can be obtained from crude salt as follows. Firstly removal of insoluble impurities by filtration from the crude salt solution with minimum amount of water. Sodium chloride can be crystallised by passing HCl gas into this solution. Calcium and magnesium chloride, being more soluble than sodium chloride, remain in solution.

Sodium chloride melts at 1081K. It has a solubility of 36.0 g in 100 g of water at 273 K. The solubility does not increase appreciably with increase in temperature.

Uses :

i) It is used as a common salt or table salt for domestic purpose. 

ii) It is used for the preparation of many inorganic compounds such as NaOH and Na₂CO₃