Sodium chloride: NaCl

    Sodium and chloride are two key elements that combine to make salt. Sodium is number 11 on the periodic table and has the symbol Na. Chlorine is number 17 on the periodic table and has the symbol Cl. When combined together they form a compound called sodium chloride or as commonly called table salt. Salt is most commonly known for its destinctive taste and is regularly used in food, but the smell of salt reminds me of a lot of memories.

For me the smell of salt reminds me of ocean salt water. Every summer my family and I would take a family vacation to a beach. We went to beaches in Delaware, North and South Carolina, Florida, Mexico, and the Carribeans. When we traveled to these places my senses would smell of my car, if we were driving, or a crowded airport, or an airplane. When we arrived or were close to the beach I could always sense the smell of salt water carrying in the ocean breeze from a mile away. It was a sign to me that we were there and we were only moments from a town along the shore loaded with surf shops, seafood resturaunts, and souvineer stands.

After we checked into our hotel, I would always want to be the first one to the beach. I would put my towel down on the sand with my sandels and head for the ocean. Now the smell of the salt water was as strong as ever. As I walked through the wake splashing up little bits of water I see thick white foam in the shallow ocean water. The ocean water creates this thick foam when it washes into shore as a reaction of the high amounts of salt in the water being stirred up by the wake. On beaches in the US such as Myrtle Beach, or any beach on the Atlantic Ocean, there is more salt in the ocean water. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, “The surface waters of the North Atlantic have a higher salinity than those of any other ocean, reaching values exceeding 37 parts per thousand in latitudes 20° to 30° N” (“Atlantic Ocean”). This high salinity causes the ocean water to make more foam and gives it a more pungent salt smell. The wake is also rougher giving the water a darker blue color. On beaches in the Carribean such as the Cayman Islands there is less salt in the ocean water, precicely “a salinity of slightly less than 35 parts per thousand” (“Caribbean Sea”).This low salinity results in less salt foam and smell. Even though the Carribean Islands have less salt in its ocean water the ocean breeze blows the feignt salt smell all over the tiny islands. There is also less wake in the Carribeans giving the ocean water its beautiful light blue color which allows anyone to see right down to the ocean floor.

While swimming in the ocean water I could not get away from the smell of salt. When I would dive down under the wake I would close my mouth to keep all of the salt water out, but when I surfaced the taste of salt remained on the edges of my lips. This feeling of salt so close to my nose only bothers me a little; the worst feeling is when I get a mouth full of salt water. It has only happened to me a few times. Having a mouth full of salt water completely overloads my senses with an extremely strong salt flavor and smell. I immediately spit the water out and repeatedly keep spitting to get every last sense of the salt water out. This is enough to immediately end my swim in the ocean. The only remedy is to run to shore and wash my mouth out with some fresh water.

Salt as itself is one of the basic tastes, but it also has characteristics of smell. The smell of salt can be very mild when thinking of table salt, but at the same time can be very overwhelming when one thinks of a mouthful of salt water. One may also relate the smell of salt to greasy fast food and potato chips, but for me it brings back the relaxing feeling of being in the warm and sunny Carribeans.

Works Cited
“Atlantic Ocean.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 8 Oct. 2007  <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-33296>.
“Caribbean Sea.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 8 Oct. 2007  <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-33221