Ian A.

Nelson

Holcomb

SLCC Chemistry 1010

Dec. 13, 2017

Chemistry of the Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake is one of my favorite places to sail, and upon taking chemistry 1010

at salt lake community college Ive gained insight as to why the lake functions the way it does.

In this essay, I will note (generally) what the lake is actually comprised of, and why the lake

does not freeze even when its temperature drop below 0 degrees Celsius (273 degrees Kelvin)

which is the normal freezing point for pure H20.

The salt lake is comprised of mostly H2O and NaCl, and because of the lakes diminishing

water levels, the salt content continues to increase. The high amount of this ionic compound

found in the lake is due to the buildup of minerals within it. The minerals are transported to the

lake by the rivers, Bear, Weber, and Jordon which erode NaCl from the mountains surrounding

it and deposit them in the lake, but because the lake has no water flowing away from it, as the

water evaporates, the saline content increases as lake levels diminish.

The combining Sodium Chloride and H20 of the lake react in a chemical decomposition

we classify as a chemical reduction reaction creating a solution of NaCl(aq) which gives the

water of the lake a saline content. When NaCl is mixed with H2O it dissolves because of the

polarity of the molecules. H20, having a fixed dipole moment, attracts the positive Na ion and
surrounds it with the negatively charged oxygen atom,

while the negative Cl ion is surrounded by the positively

charged hydrogen atoms bonded to the oxygen of H2O.

Effectively, this separates the Na from its corresponding

Cl atom (depicted in fig. 1) when dissolved in H20,

represented by the equation;

NaCl + H20 -> Na + Cl + H2O

Fig. 1 NaCl is separated from itself

This type of chemical decomposition is considered a due to the electronic configuration of
water. SOURCE: JAHS Chem. Website
chemical reduction reaction because the larger compound

(in this case NaCl) is being decomposed into its conglomerate elements. For future reference, to

those who use this information, a chemical decomposition reaction is classified, generally with

the following equation; AB -> A + B, and can be found naturally occurring in nature, other than

within the great salt lake; such as in the electrolysis of water.

Because of the Sodium Chloride (NaCl) solution (Saline) content in the lake, the water

does not completely freeze over during the winter. When Na, and Cl atoms dissolve in water to

make a solution, the molecules (of H2O) have a difficult time assembling themselves into the

necessary geometric configuration needed to form a solid (to freeze). Considering this, Its now

clear to see why the Great Salt Lake does not freeze in the winter. It is because the water of the

lake is a large molar solution of H2O, and NaCl!

To conclude, the Great Salt Lake is a water body having a uniquely high saline content

due to the salt (NaCl) being drawn into the body from surrounding mountains, via local rivers
such as the Jordan river, which prevents it from freezing in the winter when temperatures drop

below 0 degrees Celsius. This is good news for sailors like myself who enjoy water sport on the

salt lake, deep into the fall season. I have Chemistry 1010 to thank for helping me see my world

in a more atomic way.

 Bibliography (Courtesy of EasyBib.com)

Colligiative Properties. JAHSChem - Colligiative Properties,

jahschem.wikispaces.com/colligiative+properties.

Jackson, Richard H. Great Salt Lake. Great Salt Lake, Utah History Encyclopedia ,

historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/the_land/greatsaltlake.html.