How sodium chloride is prepared?

1. Dissolving: Add water to a container and dissolve sodium hydroxide (NaOH) pellets in it. Stir the mixture until all the pellets have dissolved.

2. Reaction: Add a concentrated solution of hydrochloric acid (HCl) to the sodium hydroxide solution slowly and with constant stirring. NaCl (sodium chloride) will precipitate as a solid.

3. Filtration: Filter the mixture to separate the solid NaCl from the liquid solution. Wash the precipitate with cold water to remove impurities.

4. Evaporation: Place a clean container underneath the funnel and collect the filtrate (liquid that passed through the filter). Heat the filtrate until the water evaporates, leaving behind the dissolved NaCl crystals.

5. Drying: Spread the NaCl crystals on a tray or paper and let them dry completely to remove any remaining moisture.

6. Grinding: If desired, you can grind the dried NaCl crystals into smaller pieces or powder.

Method 2: Brine Evaporation (Large-Scale Production)

1. Extraction: Seawater or salt brine from underground salt deposits (brine wells) is collected. The brine is pumped to a processing facility.

2. Filtration: The brine undergoes several filtration processes to remove impurities such as sand, silt, and other suspended particles.

3. Evaporation: The filtered brine is heated in large evaporation pans or tanks to allow water to evaporate. As the water evaporates, the salt concentration in the brine increases.

4. Crystallization: As the brine becomes more concentrated, salt crystals start to form and settle at the bottom of the evaporation pans.

5. Separation: The crystallized salt is separated from the remaining brine by mechanical means or filtration.

6. Washing and Drying: The separated salt is washed with water to remove any residual impurities and then dried using various methods, such as heated air or centrifuging.

7. Refining and Packaging: The dried salt can be further refined by adding anti-caking agents to prevent clumping. It is then packaged in various forms, such as table salt, coarse salt, or iodized salt, and distributed to consumers.