Why do we put salt on icy sidewalks in the winter?
by 
game masta
ANSWERS: 3
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Salt in water makes the freezing temperature lower, so the ice melts, and becomes merely a wet sidewalk rather than a slippery ice walkway.
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Salt lowers the freezing point of water (I believe by around 5 oC). The salt splits into ions in the water (Na+ and Cl-) which distrupt the arrangement of water molecules. Therefore, the water freezes at -5 oC instead of at 0 oC, so melting the ice if the temperature is above this. Glenn: I believe you are right! I should have written a more detailed answer; so to clarify, I believe the highway agency (or whatever body salts the roads and pavements) generally use enough salt to lower the freezing point to -5 oC, at least this is the case in the UK.
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Every year I purchase Rock Salt and sprinkle it on my stairs and sidewalk..
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