Salt Questions · Science, chemistry & environment
How do you separate salt from water through evaporation?
Short answer
Heat or leave salt water in a shallow, open container so the water evaporates; the salt stays behind as crystals. At home, gently simmer a salt solution in a pan or leave it in a dish in the sun. The same principle, on a large scale, is how sea salt has been made in salt pans for thousands of years.
Separating salt by evaporation
- 1Dissolve and filter
- 2Pour into a shallow dish
- 3Heat gently or leave in the sun
- 4Water evaporates; salt crystals remain
At home or in class
- Dissolve salt in water and filter out any sand or dirt.
- Pour the clear solution into a shallow dish or pan.
- Leave it somewhere warm and sunny, or heat gently.
- As water evaporates, salt crystals form. Stop heating before it's completely dry to avoid spattering.
How it works
Water molecules escape as vapour when heated; salt ions don't evaporate at these temperatures. When the remaining water can't hold all the salt, it crystallises.
On a large scale
Salt makers channel seawater through a series of ever-saltier pans in the sun and wind. Slow evaporation grows larger crystals. To collect the water as well, chemists use distillation: they condense the vapour back into pure water.
Related on The Salt Almanac
More science, chemistry & environment questions
- What is the crystalline structure of sodium chloride?
- Why is road salt bad for the environment and plants?
- How does salt kill bacteria on a cellular level?
- What is the difference between ionic and covalent bonds in salt?
- Why do some lakes have higher salt concentrations than the ocean?
- How does road salt cause cars to rust so quickly?
Cite this page
For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.
The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). How do you separate salt from water through evaporation. https://saltalmanac.com/answers/how-do-you-separate-salt-from-water-through-evaporation
“How do you separate salt from water through evaporation.” The Salt Almanac, 8 Nov. 2026, saltalmanac.com/answers/how-do-you-separate-salt-from-water-through-evaporation. Accessed [today's date].
“How do you separate salt from water through evaporation.” The Salt Almanac. Last modified November 8, 2026. https://saltalmanac.com/answers/how-do-you-separate-salt-from-water-through-evaporation.
Original sources
- Wikipedia. Evaporation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporation
- Wikipedia. Salt pan (geology). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_pan_(geology)