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Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #270
A number of factors can influence whether the ingredients in a salt mix settle during shipping to be nonhomogeneous. These include the density, size, and shape of the particles present. Since the only one of these we can generalize about is density (and it is likely a big factor), let's explore how salt mixes might settle based on density.
Salt mixes can be formulated in a number of ways, but some of the main ingredients are anhydrous sodium chloride, calcium chloride (anhydrous or dihydrate), magnesium chloride (anhydrous or hexahydrate) and magnesium sulfate (anhydrous or heptahydrate).
Assuming you used all of these ingredients, and based on intrinsic (crystal) density alone, which of these ingredients would be most likely to be enriched on the top of a salt bucket (that had remained upright since manufacture) and which would be most enriched on the bottom?
A. Anhydrous sodium chloride on the bottom and magnesium chloride hexahydrate on the top
B. Anhydrous calcium chloride on the bottom and anhydrous sodium chloride on the top
C. Magnesium chloride hexahydrate on the bottom and calcium chloride dihydrate on the top
D. Anhydrous magnesium sulfate on the bottom and magnesium chloride hexahydrate on the top
Good luck!
.
A number of factors can influence whether the ingredients in a salt mix settle during shipping to be nonhomogeneous. These include the density, size, and shape of the particles present. Since the only one of these we can generalize about is density (and it is likely a big factor), let's explore how salt mixes might settle based on density.
Salt mixes can be formulated in a number of ways, but some of the main ingredients are anhydrous sodium chloride, calcium chloride (anhydrous or dihydrate), magnesium chloride (anhydrous or hexahydrate) and magnesium sulfate (anhydrous or heptahydrate).
Assuming you used all of these ingredients, and based on intrinsic (crystal) density alone, which of these ingredients would be most likely to be enriched on the top of a salt bucket (that had remained upright since manufacture) and which would be most enriched on the bottom?
A. Anhydrous sodium chloride on the bottom and magnesium chloride hexahydrate on the top
B. Anhydrous calcium chloride on the bottom and anhydrous sodium chloride on the top
C. Magnesium chloride hexahydrate on the bottom and calcium chloride dihydrate on the top
D. Anhydrous magnesium sulfate on the bottom and magnesium chloride hexahydrate on the top
Good luck!
.