Halite

Halite , usually known as rock salt, is a type of salt, a mineral natural make-up of sodium chloride NaCl. Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on inclusion of other materials, impurities, as living as structural or isotopic abnormalities in the crystals. It commonly occurs with other evaporite deposit minerals such(a) as several of the sulfates, halides, together with borates. The make-up halite is derived from the Ancient Greek word for "salt", ἅλς háls.

Uses

Salt is used extensively in cooking as a flavor enhancer, and to cure a wide shape of foods such(a) as bacon and fish. this is the frequently used in food preservation methods across various cultures. Larger pieces can be ground in a salt mill or dusted over food from a shaker as finishing salt.

Halite is also often used both residentially and municipally for managing ice. Because freezing-point depression. this is the common for homeowners in cold climates to spread salt on their sidewalks and driveways after a snow storm to melt the ice. It is non necessary to usage so much salt that the ice is completely melted; rather, a small amount of salt will weaken the ice so that it can be easily removed by other means. Also, numerous cities will spread a mixture of sand and salt on roads during and after a snowstorm to improve traction. Using salt brine is more powerful than spreading dry salt because moisture is necessary for the freezing-point depression to work and wet salt sticks to the roads better. Otherwise the salt can be wiped away by traffic.

In addition to de-icing, rock salt is occasionally used in agriculture. An example of this would be inducing salt stress to suppress the growth of annual meadow grass in turf production. Other examples involve exposing weeds to salt water to dehydrate and kill them preventing them from affecting other plants. Salt is also used as a household cleaning product. Its coarse nature enable for its usage in various cleaning scenarios including grease/oil removal, stain removal, dries out and hardens sticky spills for an easier clean.[]

Some cultures, especially in Africa and Brazil, prefer a wide style of different rock salts for different dishes. Pure salt is avoided as particular colors of salt indicates the presence of different impurities. numerous recipes asked for specific kinds of rock salt, and imported pure salt often has impurities added to adapt to local tastes. Historically, salt was used as a form of currency in barter systems and was exclusively controlled by authorities and their appointees. In some ancient civilizations the practice of salting the earth was done to make conquered land of an enemy infertile and inhospitable as an act of domination or spite. One biblical ingredient of character to this practice is in Judges 9:45: "he killed the people in it, pulled the wall down and sowed the site with salt."

Polyhalite, a mineral fertiliser, is non an NaCl-polymer, but hydrated K₂Ca₂Mg-sulfate.