Why is salt sprinkled on icy roads and sidewalk?
1 Answer
May 23, 2017
The freezing point of the ice drops which causes it to melt.
Explanation:
Sprinkling salt causes freezing point depression. Using salt is applying one of the basic colligative properties of solutions.
Decreasing the freezing point means that that the ice will only remain ice if the weather gets much colder almost instantaneously. Under normal conditions the ice melts because the temperature is higher than its new freezing point.
