almost falling

Natrium chloratum (NaCl) is a compound that forms a cubic crystal with sharp edges. NaCl is generally referred to as sodium chloride, halite; or, more commonly, salt (NaCl belongs to a group of compounds called ionic salts).

photo credit: Frederick A. Canfield:  Smithsonian Institute of Natural History

Of course, the elements sodium and chlorine have entirely different properties than the compound they form. Sodium is an alkali metal and reacts exothermically (gives off heat) when put in water; if you drop a large enough chunk of sodium into water, it will explode. Sodium is soft, can be sliced easily, conducts electricity, and is a shiny silver color; although, in air, it is quickly coated with a white oxide layer. Chlorine is a halogen, the only group in the periodic table that contains elements with all three ‘normal’ states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas) at standard temperature and pressure (STP). Chlorine is a toxic, yellow-green gas with a harsh odor (the smell that emanates from a bottle of bleach). And yet, together, these two elements make up the compound we sprinkle on our food.

Because salt can be used as a food preservative, it was a precious commodity throughout human history. It was a foundation of civilizations, was the cause of wars, and facilitated the construction of trading routes (salt roads).

A miscellany from the history of salt:

Salt was included among funereal offerings found in ancient Egyptian tombs.

In the Three Gorges area (southwest China, the Sichuan-Chongqing region), the Ba Kingdom (~700 BC) prospered in the midst of barren mountains, even through  many wars, because of the primitive salt industry they developed.

The English word salary probably derives from salarium, which involved salt, Roman soldiers, and pay: the association has become obfuscated through time (there are many presumptions, with tenuous proof), but the significance is preserved in the saying he’s worth his salt.  

The alchemists believed that everything was composed of three heavenly substances or elemental components: sulphur, mercury, and salt.

Many countries levied a tax on salt, and France’s unpopular gabelle is perhaps one of the more infamous. Gabelle was a (‘temporary’) tax enacted in 1286 on all goods, but was eventually whittled down until it only applied to salt. It was eliminated in 1790, reinstated by Napoleon in 1806, temporarily removed during the French Second Republic, and (finally) permanently eliminated in 1945. During the gabelle’s existence there were differing salt prices (sometimes substantial) in France’s provinces, which resulted in lucrative opportunities for smuggling contraband salt. Smugglers were referred to as faux-sauniers and, if caught, were either sent to the gallows (if they weren’t carrying weapons), or executed immediately (if they were carrying weapons). The gabelle had a particularly long, unpopular, and violent lifetime.

In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led his famous salt march, a non-violent protest against the salt tax levied by Britain in Colonial India. Gandhi, with world-wide journalistic attention  and one-hundred thousand followers, walked to the coast (two hundred and forty miles in twenty-three days), picked up a handful of salt and said, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” He was thrown in prison for his defiance. His actions, and the actions of his followers, precipitated violence from the police, but also led to the Civil Disobedience Movement, world-wide support,and India’s independence.  

Salt is now a common, inexpensive commodity, but it played a remarkable role in  the history of our species.

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