# Dumb chemistry question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2001, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140 "2001-07-11T21:20:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/21 "2014-10-22T23:50:12Z")
It’s even worse than OP thought. Salt water is a mixture of hydrochloric acid (so strong it’s used to dissolve rock and galvanize steel) and sodium hydroxide (the active ingredient in caustic drain cleaner). Has anybody heard from OP, who should have written “Need answer first”? I’d have offered him Churchill’s advice: [QUOTE=Winston Churchill] The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whiskey. By diligent effort, I learned to like it. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/22 "2014-10-23T02:36:46Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > It’s even worse than OP thought. Salt water is a mixture of hydrochloric acid (so strong it’s used to dissolve rock and galvanize steel) and sodium hydroxide (the active ingredient in caustic drain cleaner). Not to mention deadly deadly DHMO. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/23 "2014-10-23T07:27:22Z")
[quote=“septimus, post:21, topic:72140”] It’s even worse than OP thought. Salt water is a mixture of hydrochloric acid (so strong it’s used to dissolve rock and galvanize steel) and sodium hydroxide (the active ingredient in caustic drain cleaner). Not to nitpick but hydrochloric acid has nothing to do with the process of galvanizing steel or iron. Hydrochloric acid may be used to pickle (or clean) the metal but galvanizing is applying a zinc coating. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/24 "2014-10-23T07:49:31Z")
> [@Adithya](#): > > …that’s why industries use molten sodium chloride rather a solution,since sodium and water don’t go well together… Probably way to much info - but: The majority of commercial production of sodium hydroxide (and chlorine gas) is by electrolysis of a saturated sodium chloride solution (about 19& by weight of sodium chloride). In the diaphragm (or membrane) cell process the chlorine is produced at the anode and the caustic solution (the sodium reacts instantly at the cathode). In the mercury cell process the cathode is flowing mercury metal which reacts with the sodium and produces an amalgam and chlorine is again produced at the anode. The mercury-sodium amalgam is then transferred to a reaction vessel (called the denuder) where it is mixed with water and the sodium reacts with the water to form sodium hydroxide solution and the mercury is returned back to the cell. In the membrane and diaphragm processes the liquor leaving the cell is about 10% sodium chloride solution and 10% sodium hydroxide. All but about 0.5% of the sodium chloride is removed from the caustic solution. In the mercury cell process the sodium hydroxide has a very low chloride content (in the 10 parts per million range) but the sodium hydroxide solution does contain some mercury as an impurity. Most sodium hydroxide solution sold in the US is a 50% by weight solution, which interestingly freezes at a temperature of about 53 degrees F. In the late 60’s and early 70’s most diaphragm cell caustic was sold as rayon grade and that was one of its principle uses; whereas mercury grade caustic was the grade used by the food industry because of the low chloride content. That situation certainly changed! ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/25 "2014-10-23T07:52:27Z")
Sorry, I just realized that I was replying to Adithya’s post from 13 years ago! ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/26 "2014-10-23T10:49:07Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Has anybody heard from OP I’m still here. Am still as confused as ever when it comes to chemistry. Guess I shouldn’t have napped in Chem 101. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/27 "2014-10-23T11:58:45Z")
Crafter - think of it this way Sodium + Chlorine gives Salt and a lot of heat. If the reaction happens outside your body, preferably outside your house, the heat is dissipated and you get to have the salt 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/28 "2014-10-24T02:47:20Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I’m still here. Am still as confused as ever when it comes to chemistry. Guess I shouldn’t have napped in Chem 101. 😛 Allow me to try, the original problem you posted mixed the physical states of the chemicals involved. As already stated, elemental (pure) sodium metal is a solid at room temperature that reacts rather violently (giving off much heat) with water and also will react rather quickly in air (technically the oxygen in the air). Pure elemental chlorine is a green gas at room temperature that is also very reactive. If the two pure elements are allowed to come into contact with one another they will react to form sodium chloride in the solid form as you find it in your salt shaker. If you dissolve sodium chloride in water (up to approximately 19% by weight) you will have a solution consisting of positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chlorine ions. The highly reactive forms that you addressed in the OP are in the elemental form rather than the ionic form as when dissolving sodium chloride in water. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/29 "2014-10-24T05:01:16Z")
> [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](#): > > … For the same chemistry reason, hydrogen, which is an explosive gas, and oxygen, which is a flammable gas, combine to make water, which is not a gas at all, let alone explosive OR flammable. > > Just one of the Wonders of Chemistry. 😃 A nitpick 13+ years in the making. Oxygen is not a flammable gas, but rather a strong oxidizer that supports the combustion of flammable materials. ---
**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/30 "2014-10-24T13:30:03Z")
> [@Waterman](#): > > elemental (pure) sodium metal is a solid at room temperature that reacts rather violently (giving off much heat) with water Eh, so-so. When I was in school, the chemistry lecturers would always cheat and use potassium on sodium-and-water day. All of the students would be left wondering, “How come mine didn’t go _pop_?” ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/31 "2014-10-25T03:48:20Z")
> [@eastcheap](#): > > Eh, so-so. When I was in school, the chemistry lecturers would always cheat and use potassium on sodium-and-water day. All of the students would be left wondering, “How come mine didn’t go _pop_?” Eh, so-so what? Are you questioning the reaction of sodium with water or the choice of your chemistry lecturers? ---
**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140/32 "2014-10-25T06:03:02Z")
> [@Waterman](#): > > Eh, so-so what? Are you questioning the reaction of sodium with water or the choice of your chemistry lecturers? I thought I was just being sarky. Or snarky. Or possibly both. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-chemistry-question/72140.md?page=1)