Thankful Thursday - Salt

Yes, we are thankful for salt today. Of course, the geekiness will be specific - Sodium chloride, NaCl, sodium and chloride held together by an ionic bond. It is everywhere whether as aqueous solutions or a hard substance. In solution you will find it in the ocean and in our very cells.

Today's topic is crystalline NaCl.

Today it is the first real snow this season. St. Louis doesn't get a lot of snow, so folks don't always remember how to drive in snow. The first snow is THE worst.

Mom said there were folks driving 20 mph on the interstate. Now, it was maybe an inch of snow? What's up with the creepy crawly thing? That speed is dangerous, folks. Go drive surface roads if you are going to crawl.

Then there is the class of idiots comprised of SUVs, pickemup trucks, and sporty cars. These folks drive the same speed as they always do. Can we say FISHTAIL? Throw road slush which freezes all over the windshield? There was a truck weaving in and out of traffic, an accident waiting to happen. He didn't have the front end plow rigging so there probably weren't bags of sand (weight) over the wheelswhich would make the ass end of the truck even lighter and prone to sliding. Idiot.

Anyway, I digress from my topic.

The City of St. Louis does a great job on I44 in the mornings. It is with a sigh of relief once mom hits the city limits. (The County sucks at keeping I44 clean at that hour.) The interstate was clear, plowed, and it was SALTED!!!! Ah! sigh of relief.

We have had so little snow this year that MDOT is using the extra money allocated for snow removal and SALT to fix roads. Now, that is something I can get behind!

Please watch this great video about how sodium and chloride find each other! Yes, it is geekiness at it is finest!