The Science of Why Salt Melts Ice

Why does salt melt ice—even in freezing weather… but then suddenly stop working when it

gets too cold? Melting is a molecular tug-of-war. Water breaks free faster than it

locks back into ice. Salt isn’t a heat source—it’s a rule breaker.

It lowers water’s freezing point. When salt hits water, it splits into

sodium and chloride ions—and those little guys block ice from rebuilding. Here’s the twist—salt

needs a bit of liquid to start. Even ice has a microscopic wet

film. That first drop of salty water? It’s called brine. And brine doesn’t

freeze so easily. The brine eats away at the ice—melting more, spreading more,