Rock salt properties and uses. Halite. Rock salt

Halite - a widespread mineral of the halogen class. Synonyms: mountain salt, rock salt, table salt, cracking salt.

Chemical composition

Sodium (Na) 39.4%, chlorine (C1) 60.6%.

Properties

Crystal structure: face-centered cubic lattice: sodium ions (Na +) and chlorine ions (C1 -), alternating in the crystal lattice, are located at the corners of small cubes (see Table 1).

The mineral halite is fragile, hygroscopic, highly soluble in water, and tastes salty. The mineral halite forms cubic crystals, solid granular and dense spar-like masses. In caves and mine workings it forms stalactites, stalagmites, and sinter formations. In lakes and lagoons it forms crystalline growths on various objects - plant branches, stones, etc. Often has a rhythmic-zonal structure.

It is easily soluble in water, has a pleasant salty taste, which differs from the very similar sylvite, which is also easily soluble in water, but has a pungent taste. Halite is of chemogenic origin and is formed as a result of the evaporation of sea water, salt lake waters, and the cooling of salt-saturated solutions.
Minaral halite is also found as a product of volcanic sublimation of high-temperature fumaroles (Etna and Vesuvius, Italy).

It is the main compound dissolved in ocean waters - with a water salinity of 35 ppm, NaCl accounts for about 85%.

Place of Birth

In Russia, huge deposits of the mineral halite of marine origin are known in the Donbass (Artyomovskoye deposit), in the Arkhangelsk region (Solvychegodskoye deposit), in Orenburg region(Iletsk field), in the Verkhnekamsk region of the Perm region. Halite deposits of lacustrine origin are known in the Volgograd region (Lake Elton) and in the Astrakhan region (Lake Baskunchak).

Blue aggregates of the mineral halite are known in Germany, where large deposits of halite are also developed. Beautiful skeletal crystals of the mineral halite are known in the USA.

Application

The mineral halite is an important raw material for the food and chemical industries.

Properties of the mineral

• Origin of name: from the Greek words halos - salt and lithos - stone
• Opening year: known since ancient times
• Thermal properties: Melts at 804°C, colors the flame yellow.
• Luminescence: Red (SW UV) .
• IMA status: valid, first described before 1959 (before IMA)
• Typical impurities: I,Br,Fe,O
• Strunz (8th edition): 3/A.02-30
• Hey's CIM Ref.: 8.1.3
• Dana (8th edition): 9.1.1.1
• Molecular Weight: 58.44
• Cell parameters: a = 5.6404(1) Å
• Number of formula units (Z): 4
• Unit cell volume: V 179.44 ų
• Twinning: According to (111) (artificial crystals).
• Space group: Fm3m (F4/m 3 2/m)
• Density (calculated): 2.165
• Density (measured): 2.168
• Pleochroism: weak
• Dispersion of optical axes: moderately strong
• Refractive index: n = 1.5443
• Maximum birefringence:δ = 0.000 - isotropic, does not have birefringence
• Type: isotropic
• Optical relief: short
• Selection form: Cubic crystals, often granular or spar-like masses, stalactites
• USSR taxonomy classes: Chlorides, bromides, iodides
• IMA classes: Halides
• Chemical formula: NaCl
• Syngony: cubic
• Color: Colorless, grey, white, red, yellow, blue, violet
• Trait color: white
• Shine: glass
• Transparency: transparent translucent translucent
• Cleavage: perfect by (001)
• Kink: conchoidal
• Hardness: 2,5
• Fragility: Yes
• fluorescence: Yes
• taste: Yes
• Literature: Minerals. Directory (edited by F.V. Chukhrov and E.M. Bonstedt-Kupletskaya). T. II, issue. 1. Halides. M.: Nauka, 1963, 296 p.
• Additionally:

Photo of the mineral

Articles on the topic

• Halite or rock salt
  Halite forms large crystals that grow in voids and cracks in rocks, less often grown into clay, anhydrite and kainite; huge cubes with a volume of more than 1 cubic meter. m found in the upper reaches of the Aller River (Germany) and near the city of Detroit (USA)

Deposits of the mineral Halite

• Soligorsk, city
• Solikamsk, city
• Chelyabinsk region
• Russia
• Perm region
• Belarus
• Minsk Region
• Berezniki
• California

Rock salt- rock salt, Steinsalz (often also used to denote a rock consisting of halite), table salt - Kochsalz, sodium chloride, lake salt, self-planting salt, ice salt, blue salt (for blue halite), partially hairy salt - Faserzalz, β-halite - β-halite (Panike, 1933), saltspar - saltspar (Murzaev, 1941) - coarse-crystalline secretions.
Crackling salt (Lebedev, Textbook of Mineralogy, 1907) - salt containing inclusions of gases, crackling when dissolved, falcon salt (Lebedev, ibid.)
- local name used in Yakutia, martinsite - martinsite, described by Karsten (1845) - halite from Stasfurt with an admixture of MgSO 4, natricalite - natrikalite (Adam, 1869) - a mixture of halite and sylvite from Vesuvius, kallar - kallar (Dana, 1892)
- impure salt from India, Zuber - Zuber is a halopelitic rock cemented with halite. Guantajayite - halite containing up to 11% silver, may be a mixture (Raimondi, 1876).

The English name of the mineral Halite is Halite

Origin of the name halite

The mineral is named from the Greek “als” - salt (Glocker, 1847).

Chemical composition

Chemical theoretical composition: Na - 39.34; Cl - 60.66. The composition of the very pure material corresponds to the theoretical one. Contains Br as an isomorphic impurity (up to 0.098%). The following impurities were also noted: He, NH 3, Mn, Cu, Ga, As, J, Ba, Tl, Pb. K, Ca, SO 3 are often detected due to the admixture of sylvite and gypsum.

Crystallographic characteristics

Syngony. Cubic (3L 4 4L 3 6L 2 9PC).

Class. Hexoctahedral.

Crystal structure

In the structure, Na and Cl atoms alternate uniformly at the sites of a simple (primitive) cubic lattice with a 0 = 2.82 A; in view of the difference between Na and Cl, we need to talk about two face-centered lattices (Na and Cl) with a 0 = 5.64 A, inserted into one another. Since the Cl ionic radius is significantly larger than the Na radius, the structure can be represented as a dense cubic packing of Cl atoms; all octahedral voids contain Na atoms. The coordination number of both Cl and Na is 6, the coordination polyhedron is an octahedron. Perfect cleavage along the faces of the cube is due to the fact that these planes are uniformly populated with cations and anions and are therefore electrically neutral. The ionic type of bond predominates.

Main forms: Main forms: a (100), o (111).

Form of being in nature

The appearance of crystals. The crystals are cubic, very rarely octahedral, sometimes reaching significant sizes. Cubic crystals of NaCl are formed from neutral solutions, octahedral crystals are formed from active, acidic or alkaline solutions. Very characteristic skeletal formations are fragile dull white hollow pyramids, “boats”, floating on the surface of the brine with the tip down; walls
boats are usually stepped, often bearing a scar or “suture” formed as a result of growth from the ribs along the walls towards each other. The boats are usually zonal as a result of the uneven arrangement of mother liquor inclusions, which usually form chains parallel to the faces of the cube. Often the boats are deformed and grow together. Skeletal crystals with a herringbone structure, the so-called “salt teeth,” are also found. Their peculiar appearance is due to the uneven distribution of inclusions, which is caused by a change in the growth rate under conditions of uneven supply of substances when the rate of brine evaporation changes.
Cubic crystals with funnel-shaped and concave faces are known. Sometimes the crystals are curved or have a distorted (rhombohedral or plate-like) shape due to growth under directed pressure conditions. Lenticular crystals grown in the clay were also noted, oriented with a third-order axis perpendicular to the layering of the clay. The edges of the crystals are often smooth and shiny, sometimes stepped or pitted. Etching figures corresponding to the hexoctahedral class are formed even when exposed to humid air. Etching figures on artificial crystals obtained by acetic acid, change their shape depending on the impurities added to acetic acid.

Doubles according to (111) were obtained only artificially from solutions containing significant amounts of MnCl 2, CaCl 2, CoCl 2. Mechanical twins are obtained by non-uniform compression at a temperature of 500-600°.
Rock salt crystals are often symmetrically or asymmetrically zoned as a result of uneven distribution of inclusions or color. Cloudy areas are often located at the periphery of the crystals, closer to the tops and edges, i.e., in the directions of the fastest growth of the crystals.

Aggregates. Aggregates from fine-grained to gigantic-grained are typical; Individual crystals and druses are not uncommon. It also forms parallel fibrous aggregates, sinter crusts, stalactites, fluffy deposits, crusts, and efflorescences.

Physical properties

Optical

Color. Colorless and often white, gray to black, red, brown, yellow, blue (sky blue to dark indigo), violet, mauve to dark purple; occasionally green.
The gray color is often caused by clay inclusions; black and brown, disappearing when heated, due to an admixture of organic substances. Brown and yellow tones sometimes associated with an admixture of iron compounds, in particular tiny needles of hematite; in the latter case, the color is usually distributed unevenly or streakily. The green color can be caused by inclusions of Douglasite, in this case in air halite turns brown from the surface. Blue, violet and yellow colors that disappear in light are caused by exposure to radioactive radiation. The source of β-radiation in salt deposits is K4o and the accompanying radioactive Rb, which is confirmed by the repeatedly noted fact that halite turns blue in the vicinity of sylvite and other potassium salts, as well as laboratory studies.

The nature and intensity of staining is determined by the amount of β-radiation received by the sample and its sensitivity to radiation. The latter depends on many reasons, the most important of which are the following:

1) the degree of deformation of the lattice and the presence of certain stresses in it;

2) the amount and nature of impurity elements in the irradiated material, for example, an increased content of Ca was noted in blue salt, and Cu in violet salt; the total amount of impurities in purple and blue salt exceeds the amount in yellow salt; Neutral Na atoms were found in blue salt from Solikamsk

3) growth rate of the colored crystals. Very often, the blue color is distributed unevenly in crystals due to the locality of irradiation or the sensitivity of the crystals to it: in the form of zones parallel to the faces of the cube, irregular areas isolated from each other, edges, spots, winding stripes, etc. The colored areas themselves differ from each other from each other by a structure discernible under a magnifying glass: reticular, dotted-reticulate, dashed, spotted, zonal, spiral, etc. Sometimes this phenomenon is caused by the fouling of colored skeletal crystals with colorless salt.

The color caused by radioactive radiation disappears when heated in light, but the samples retain increased colorability.

• Trait white to colorless
• Glass shine.
• The cast on a stale surface is greasy to greasy.
• Transparency. Transparent or translucent.

Mechanical

• Hardness 2, slightly different when scratching along the edge and along the diagonal of the cube. The average hardness on a cube face is less than on an octahedron face. The hardness of dark blue salt is significantly higher. Microhardness 18-22 kg/mm ​​2. It is easiest to polish along the edges of the cube, hardest along (110) and worst of all along (111). The impact figure looks like a four-ray star made of cracks in the plane of the rhombic dodecahedron.
• Density 2.173, often fluctuates due to the presence of inclusions, for example, salt from Kalush from 1.9732 to 2.2100; There was an increase in density with increasing intensity of blue color
• Cleavage according to (100) is perfect, according to (110) imperfect (the fine structure of the cleavage planes was studied under an electron microscope)
• The fracture is conchoidal.

It is quite fragile, but when heated, its ductility increases significantly (in a hot saturated solution it can be easily bent by hand); it also becomes plastic under prolonged one-sided pressure (the degree of plastic deformation of halite can be judged by the optical density values ​​in the region of 380-600 tpc, which depends on the degree of light scattering in the deformed areas).

Chemical properties

On salty halite taste. Easily dissolves in water (35.7 g in 100 cm3 of water at 20°). Solubility depends little on temperature, increasing by 7 g from 0 to 100°; decreases significantly if the solution contains CaCl 2 or MgCl 2 ; increases noticeably with increasing pressure. Dissolution is accompanied by significant heat absorption. Poorly soluble in alcohol (0.065% at 18.5°).

With AgNO 3 it reacts with Cl.

Other properties

Halite is hygroscopic, but does not melt in air.

Non-conductor of electricity. Dielectric constant 5.85. Diamagnetic When NaCl crystals were rubbed or squeezed, triboluminescence was observed. Fluoresces red when containing Mn. The glow of crystals activated by X-ray irradiation and heat treatment was studied. It has great transparency in the infrared region of the spectrum.

Melting point 800°. When heated, the refractive index decreases (to 1.5246 at 425°), and blue and purple salts become discolored.

Artificial acquisition.

Easily obtained by precipitation from aqueous solution. Water-clear crystals can be obtained by adding FeCl 3 or strong acids and reasons. It is also formed during the sublimation of sodium chloride. Methods for obtaining whiskers are known.
It is not isomorphically miscible with KCl at ordinary temperatures; isomorphic mixtures were obtained only with rapid cooling of the melt. At temperatures above 500°, a series of double salts are formed, the refractive indices of which change in direct proportion to the content of the components; when cooled, they decompose into halite and sylvin. Many physicochemical aqueous systems with NaCl have been studied.

Diagnostic signs

Similar mineral- sylvin.

It differs from other water-soluble salts in its salty (but not bitter) taste. Differences from sylvin. Recognized by the cubic shape of the crystals, perfect cleavage along the cube, and low hardness.

Satellites. Silvin, gypsum, anhydrite.

Mineral Change

Halite is easily dissolved by water, and in place of its excretions, voids remain, sometimes retaining imprints of the finest sculpture of crystal faces. Often such voids are filled with marl, clay, gypsum, dolomite, anhydrite, celestine, polyhalite, quartz, hematite, pyrite. During metamorphism, halite from salt deposits recrystallizes, as a result of which the transparency of its grains and the size of single crystals increase, and their orientation also changes.

Rock salt or halite is considered one of the most essential minerals for the human body. Halite is formed exclusively by sedimentation from natural brines by crystallization. Quite often, natural salt is deposited in sea bays when water evaporates.

This amazing mineral comes in various forms. color shade, ranging from white, transparent, gray to red, resulting from scattered particles of hematite, as well as a yellow or blue tint, resulting from particles of sodium metal. In terms of transparency, halite has an amazing weak glassy luster. The most common colors of crystals are colorless, blue, and red.

• From 1 to 3 years: 2 g salt per day
• From 4 to 6 years: 3 g salt per day
• From 7 to 10 years: 5 g salt per day
• 11 years and older: 6 g salt per day

For the human body, a lack of salt is as harmful as an excess of this mineral. Excessive consumption of halite threatens a person with edema. The deficiency causes negative health, weakness, nausea, severe thirst, and spasms of the calf muscles. Rock salt is actively involved in almost all basic processes of the human body. Existing in Lately various salt-free diets are a rather dangerous experiment for human health. The main thing is not the complete absence of salt in a person’s diet, but a moderate amount of its use. First of all, older people should consume salt with caution.

Some nutritionists believe that the main enemy of the human body is water, excess fluid. Excess gives rise to excessive development of bacterial flora, the presence of excess water leads to edema, negatively affects the functioning of blood vessels and arteries, which contributes to increased blood pressure. It is water, according to some doctors, that significantly delays a person’s recovery from diseases and creates the preconditions for the occurrence of incurable diseases. People who consume rock salt in excess harm their health by retaining water in their body. Such lovers of excessively salty foods suffer primarily from kidney disease.

External use of salt can be considered practically safe. Quite often recurring headaches can be cured by applying a hot bandage soaked in 8% saline solution. Even when treating cancer before starting chemotherapy, many sick people try to be treated by applying salt dressings, which draw water from the cells of the human body, while cancer cells die from dehydration.

At low blood pressure You should absolutely not drink strong coffee to normalize blood pressure; a piece of black bread sprinkled with salt will certainly help you. Rock salt is much better than any heating pad to help with severe pain in the throat, if you preheat it in a dry frying pan, transferring it to a fabric bag. The same dry salt heat is used to treat painful sensations in the joints of the arms and legs. Applying saline solutions directly to festering wounds promotes rapid healing; salt draws out pus.

Absolutely everyone knows about the miraculous; many seaside resorts, where almost all diseases are cured, are always popular. This mineral is used even for modern lamps; the salt, evaporating under the influence of heat, effectively ionizes the air in the room. Salt has the strongest magical properties, that's why it exists a large number of amulets, amulets. Let salt protect and protect you!

Halite is a natural mineral of the halogen class, subclass sodium chloride. For ordinary person- This is rock table salt, which he uses daily for food. The history of the mineral goes back to the era of the origin of life on the planet, when the water in the world’s oceans was already salty. That is why the Ancient Greeks called it “halite”, which means “sea”, “salt”.

The chemical formula of halite is NaCl, contains 60.6% chlorine and 39.4% sodium. A pure mineral is transparent, opaque or translucent, colorless or white with a glassy sheen. Depending on additional impurities, it may have shades: with iron oxide - yellow and red tones, organic inclusions - colors from brown to black, clay impurities - gray shades. Interesting blue and purple colour gives halite an admixture of sylvite (potassium chloride).

Halite is a brittle mineral with hygroscopic properties and a salty taste. It easily dissolves in water, melts at a temperature of 800°C, and colors the fire yellow. When mined, it is released in the form of cubic crystals or stalactites with a granular and spar-like structure. It has a conchoidal fracture, perfect cleavage, and is found in the rock with borates and sulfates formed during the evaporation of salt waters.

Products made from halite are sensitive to moisture and are short-lived due to their natural fragility. To maintain their original appearance, they must be wiped with alcohol, high-quality gasoline, or rinsed in a strong salt mixture, and then polished with a velvet cloth.

Varieties of halite

Depending on the physical properties and origin, halite is divided into the following categories:

• Rock salt is formed during the compaction of sedimentary deposits of halite formed in past geological eras. Occurs in the form of large massifs in layers of rocks;
• Self-sedimented salt is a rock formed in evaporite deposits in the form of druses and fine-grained deposits;
• Volcanic halite is asbestos-type aggregates formed during the vulcanization process. They are mined in places where lavas pass and where craters are located;
• Salt marsh is a salt efflorescence that forms in steppe and desert areas on the soil surface in the form of crusts and deposits.

Mineral deposits

Large deposits of halite were formed hundreds of millions of years ago in North America and Eurasia in the Permian period, when these territories were characterized by a hot and dry climate.

In modern times, rock salt large quantities is mined in Russia - in the Solikamsk and Sol-Iletsk deposits of the Urals, the Usolye-Siberian basin, located in the vicinity of Irkutsk, the Iletsk districts of the Orenburg region, the Solvychegodsk deposit of the Arkhangelsk region, as well as the Verkhnekamsk region, located in the vicinity of Perm. Self-sedimented halite is developed in the Lower Volga region and coastal areas of Lake Baskunchak, Astrakhan region.

In Ukraine, rock salt deposits are located in Artemovsk, Donetsk region and Transcarpathia. Lake Sivash in Crimea is famous for its self-planted rocks. Unusually beautiful, large crystals are mined in Poland - Inowroclaw, Bochnia and Wieliczka. Halite of blue and lilac shades is found in deposits in Germany located near Bernburg and Strasbourg.

Large quantities of halite are mined in the American states of New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, California and Oklahoma. In India, development is taking place along the Himalayan mountain range in the state of Punjab. Salt of lake origin is also formed in the Iranian Urmia deposit.

The magical properties of halite

Widespread and simple in composition, halite, at first glance, does not have a supernatural purpose, but the magical potential, prayed for by people for many centuries, helps to increase good and fight evil.

There are many signs and sayings associated with salt that were formed by peoples different countries based on observations. It was believed that a handful of halite, sprinkled on the ground in the form of a cross, protects against evil spirits. On the other hand, spilled salt was perceived by many people as a signal of impending trouble and disease. The Slavs, when going on a campaign or to war, always took with them a handful of earth mixed with salt to protect themselves from mortal wounds.

To this day, magicians and sorcerers use halite in occult rituals. Good intentions halite increases many times, but the mineral will return evil and envy like a boomerang in multiplied quantities. Spells with halite for good luck, love and happiness are effective, but for them to work you need to carry talismans with you. A pinch of crushed salt is sewn into children's clothes to protect them from damage and the evil eye. A mineral amulet protects its owner from emergencies, natural Disasters and violent actions.

Halite, as a talisman, does not like extraneous energy and, when exposed to public display, can absorb someone else’s negativity. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to keep secret the composition of the talisman or amulet and hide it from prying eyes.

Medicinal properties

Halite has unique antiseptic properties and is an effective method for treating colds and viral diseases. They are used to gargle when the first symptoms of sore throat, laryngitis or tonsillitis, as well as oral infections, appear. Halite salt (1 tablespoon), diluted in a glass warm water, relieves toothache.

To treat diseases of the lungs and bronchi, air saturated with halite ions is used. In hospitals and sanatoriums, salt rooms are set up for this purpose, and at home you can improve your health with the help of a salt lamp.

Application

Halite is used in many industries. In the food industry, it is used as an essential nutritional element - salt, which is included in the diet of every person. Up to 7 million tons of mineral are spent annually for these needs.

The chemical industry uses halite to release chlorine and sodium, from which soda, concentrated alkaline compounds and hydrochloric acid are subsequently made. Halite is present in household detergents, paper and glass. Monocrystalline halite film is used in high-quality optics on lenses as an additional layer.

Using pressed technical halite, scale is removed from boilers and water heating elements are cleaned. The mineral concentrate is considered effective means in the fight against icing. The freezing point of halite is lower than that of water, which allows the formation of an ice crust to reduce its density and adhesion to the road surface. The mineral is used in construction and exploration work in frozen areas to thaw the soil.

The mineral druses are exhibited in collections and are also used to make crafts, jewelry, talismans and amulets. It produces amazing interior items - cylinders, pyramids and balls with natural shapes and soft colors. Halite is capricious and requires proper care, so jewelry rarely used.

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Halite is the only mineral in nature that people eat. Halite is commonly called rock salt or table salt. The word "halite" comes from the Greek gallos - sea salt.

Halite is an ordinary salt that everyone eats every day. Name of mineral in Ancient Greece meant both salt and sea.

Genetic classification. Halite is formed almost exclusively by sedimentation, crystallizing from natural brines. Due to the fact that its solubility is almost independent of temperature, it is separated from other dissolved salts. The same reason determines the tendency of halite to form skeletal and dendritic forms. Rock salt is deposited in sea bays when water evaporates.

Compound. The chemical formula is NaCl with quite frequent admixtures of KCl, CaCl2 and MgCl2.

Features of education. It is assumed that halite is formed on the earth's surface during sedimentation in sea lagoons and salt lakes (in the latter case, during the evaporation of underground mineralized waters). However, according to some signs, the accumulation of thick layers of halite (hundreds of meters thick) requires certain conditions in the upper zones of the earth's crust and metamorphism of sediments at low pressures and temperatures.

Place of Birth. Sedimentary deposits of halite are found in many places, including at a depth of 1,700 meters near Moscow. In Russia, halite is mined in the Donbass, Perm region, Lower Volga region and in Ukraine in Transcarpathia. Wieliczka, Inowroclaw and Bochnia (Poland) are famous for their beautiful examples. Large deposits are located in Germany (Strasbourg), Austria (Salzburg), and Ukraine. Halite is sodium chloride. The color of the mineral is most often white, but there are colorless, blue and red crystals.

Physical properties

a) color: halite occurs in nature in transparent or white(from air bubbles), red (from scattered particles of hematite), gray (from admixtures of clay particles), yellow and of blue color(from dispersed metallic sodium),
b) hardness: 2, cleavage perfect to the cube,
c) density: 2.2,
d) degree of transparency: halite has a weak glassy luster.

Medicinal properties

Halite is used in a solution with iodine and water to gargle for sore throat, laryngitis and tonsillitis. A solution of warm water (1 tablespoon of mineral per glass) with halite relieves acute toothache. A clothes bag with hot salt is applied to areas affected by radiculitis, it is used to warm the chest during bronchitis, and to remove boils and boils.

Magic properties

At first glance, it may seem that salt, an ordinary (but extremely necessary) seasoning for our food, cannot have any magical abilities. But let's remember what our relationship really is to salt, or, in the language of mineralogists, to halite. What do we mean when we say: “I ate a ton of salt with him”? With this phrase we emphasize not only a long-term acquaintance with a person, but also complete trust in him. Moreover, note that the degree of intimacy and trust is measured not by bread, sugar or potatoes, but by salt.

And who doesn’t remember the phrases “salt of the earth”, “that’s the salt”, “what’s the salt of your story” and so on? It seems that these simple figures speeches are used for figurative language and do not have any hidden meaning. However, in almost all fairy tales and legends of the peoples of the world there is a mention of salt as the strongest amulet against witchcraft, evil spirits and from various troubles and troubles. For example, Vasilisa the Wise averts the eyes of Koshchei the Immortal and directs him in the other direction, throwing a handful of salt between herself and the pursuer; Baba Yaga gives salt to Ivan the Soldier as a talisman when he goes to the distant kingdom for his bride (that is, to world of the dead). In European legends, the bride sprinkles salt on the table at which the groom, who has forgotten her and himself, is feasting, his eyes open, and he remembers and given name, and your beloved, etc.

There was an opinion among the military that salt protected against wounds and death in battle. It was not without reason that (even during the Second World War) that a soldier took with him to the front a bundle with a handful of native land mixed with a pinch of salt.

And what can we say about the famous salt conspiracies to protect a person on the road from dashing people, to attract love; for “drying up” tears (from depression), for good luck, for happiness, for various diseases, etc. Any village healer knows that salt(halite) has the strongest magical properties, both protecting and strengthening a person’s connection with the Earth. How can you take advantage of these wonderful qualities of halite? First of all, make amulets, amulets and talismans out of it. It must be said that this magical assistant will serve a person regardless of what zodiac sign he was born under.

Talismans and amulets

As a talisman, halite serves its owner to attract good luck, love, and the sympathy of other people. As a talisman, it protects it from accidental wounds, injuries, and attacks by dashing people. Halite is an amulet against the influence of evil spirits on a person ( negative energy), clears the room and the owner’s mind from negativity, helps to achieve successful career. It is not difficult to prepare a talisman, amulet or talisman - sew a pinch of salt (preferably a crystal) into a small piece of cotton cloth and carry it with you at all times in your pocket, bag or around your neck as an amulet. The only condition that must be met for the amulet to work successfully is that you not only do not need to show it to anyone, but you don’t even need to tell them that you have it.

Applications. More than two and a half centuries ago, difficulties with delivery salt forced the commander of the First Kamchatka Expedition V. Bering to organize the extraction of salt on the Pacific coast in Okhotsk in 1726, where it was obtained from sea water by freezing. The production started by the “people of the Bering expedition” and the plant that arose on its basis functioned for over a hundred years.

Sea salt has long been brewed by Russian Pomors on the White Sea coast and was called long-tailed fish.

In ancient times, salt was valued, it was an item of state trade, and because of it, wars and popular unrest arose. In Rus' in the 16th century they introduced single tax for salt - two hryvnias per pound, which was equivalent to a double increase in price, and in the spring of 1648 a salt riot broke out in Moscow, and then in Pskov and Novgorod.

Salty taste is a unique and most important property of halite. In its pure form, this taste is characteristic only of halite and is, without a doubt, a way developed by long evolution to accurately isolate this substance, which is irreplaceable in its biological functions, among which the main one is maintaining salt balance, a necessary condition for metabolism in tissues and cells. This mineral with with good reason can be considered priceless.

Each person needs to eat about 5-6 kg of table salt per year. For all of humanity, this amounts to about 7 million tons annually (for chemical industries - several times more). Once upon a time a slave was bought for a couple of bricks of salt; V Central Africa they were literally worth their weight in gold. But with the success of geological searches for halite deposits and its artificial cultivation, as well as thanks to improved transport and active trade, the “salt passions” subsided. This priceless mineral, which is impossible to live without, is sold at very affordable prices.

Let us once again emphasize a very important circumstance: it was precisely starting with halite that it was possible to organize an artificial cycle of renewal of mineral raw materials. This is already real geotechnology. And if it began for halite several centuries ago, now its methods are used more widely, although still too limited only for some minerals, mainly easily soluble. At the same time, most often we're talking about about underground mineless mining, and not about renewing reserves of valuable raw materials. However, the protection of mineral resources requires the creation of closed cycles for many, if not all, minerals and chemical elements.