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Where Does the Salt Go? -- Science Experiment on Evaporation

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Where Does The Salt Go? - A Homeschool Science Project To Learn How To Distill Salt Water To Make It Safe To Drink

Using a simple method of distillation, you can make ocean water safe to drink. As homeshoolers, we love science experiments. This science project was especially fun, as we sail, so we could apply it to our everyday life.

The questions we asked - Where does the salt go when the ocean water evaporates? And, if we distill the evaporating water will we drinking safe water?

We have captured our homeschool science project on video and still photos. So, join us and find the answer: Will we be drinking safe water?

Photo Credit: © Melissa Albom 2009

Contents at a Glance

Distillation (continued)
What You Need For The Experiment
How to Do the Experiment
What We Learned:
Please Watch the Video We Made of Our Ex...
The Water Cycle

by Melissa

If you were trapped in the middle of the sea on a boat, with no water and plenty of food, what would you do? Wait until you died of dehydration? Probably. You might think it's hopeless. We're all going to die. But that's where you're wrong. And this report is going to tell you how to make fresh water appear out of thin air (well, steam actually)

Purifying salt water to make it safe to drink is a simple process called distillation. When you distill water, you heat it up and collect the steam. If you are distilling salt water the salt will stay in the bottom of whatever you are using to heat the salty water in because it is too heavy to float up like the water.

We tried this experiment with sea water and fresh water with salt in it. They work the same, but we didn't use the salt from the ocean because it has plankton and other gross things that are too heavy to evaporate.

So now you know you could survive. You could distill your own water and never run out of something to drink, because the fresh water you can buy in bottles and drink is sometimes distilled as well.

Mom Says:

This lens was made as part of a homeschool science project by Melissa (11) and Sarah (9). They decided that I can add comments on sticky notes, all other work is theirs.

What You Need For The Experiment

A list of supplies

We used:
100 ml of water
1 tablespoon of salt
sauce pan
cold plate (we put ours in the refrigerator overnight)
bowl for collected water
measuring cup and spoons

Mom Says:

Don't forget to have an adult help you when you work at the stove.

How to Do the Experiment

1. Measure and pour the water and salt into the sauce pan together
2. Boil the water
3. Hold a cold plate over the water once it is steaming
4. Collect the water when it condenses on the bottom of the plate by dripping it into a bowl
5. Continue to collect water until there is none left in the pan
6. Taste the water and see if it is salty or not!

What We Learned:

We can use the water cycle to make water safe to drink.

Please Watch the Video We Made of Our Experiment

A Homeschool Science Project on Evaporating Salt Water
starring Sarah and Melissa
edited and produced by Melissa

Where Did the Salt Go?: by pukekokid | video info

0 ratings | 305 views

curated content from YouTube

The Water Cycle

by Sarah

When the sun heats the salt water, it evaporates and turns into a gas called water vapor. This is called evaporation. As the evaporated water goes higher in the sky it cools down and becomes a cloud. After a while there is too much water in the cloud and it falls back to the earth. This is rain, snow or hail. It does this over and over again. This is the water cycle.

Please click on any of these items for general or purchase information:

Books About the Water Cycle

Some Uses of Distilled water

- In chemical and biological laboratories

- To top up lead acid batteries used in cars and trucks

- To cool down cars

- In steam irons to make them last longer

- In aquariums

- To cool airplane engines

- Drinking

Mom Says:

This list is ok to use because there is no copyright on the information and permission is granted to reprint or distribute by any means.

Homeschool Ideas on eBay

You never know what treasures you will find on eBay. The computer is out searching for "homeschool" Here is what it found today. Click on any item for more information, or from there do your own search. Check back often, it changes frequently.

Cool Things You Can Do with Salt

This is part of a list I found, but I don't know if anything on it works! Press the up arrow to vote for the ones you know work. If you know they don't work, press the down arrow. Please add other uses of salt to the list.

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Where Does the Salt Go? -- Science Experiment on Evaporation

Where Does The Salt Go? - A Homeschool Science Project To Learn How To Distill Salt Water To Make It Safe To Drink

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Distillation (continued)

by Melissa

Mom Says:

What You Need For The Experiment

A list of supplies

Mom Says:

How to Do the Experiment

What We Learned:

Please Watch the Video We Made of Our Experiment

The Water Cycle

by Sarah

Books About the Water Cycle

Some Uses of Distilled water

Mom Says:

Homeschool Ideas on eBay

Cool Things You Can Do with Salt

1

Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.

2

Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.

3

Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.

4

Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

5

Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.

6

Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.

7

Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.

8

Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash.

9

Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.

10

Salt and lemon juice removes mildew.

11

Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.

12

Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.

13

Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.

14

Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.

15

Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.

16

Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.

17

Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.

18

Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.

19

A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.

20

A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea.

21

Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.

22

Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.

23

Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.

24

Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.

25

Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.

26

Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.

27

Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odour.

28

A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.

29

If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice. The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.

30