This simple experiment is suitable for young children in the lab. Investigate the sheer variety of salt types in this experiment. You will need a container, a heat source and predetermined measurements of water and salt. Fill your container with the proper amount of water, and bring it to a boil. Then stir in the salt. Observe and record the physical effects of salt's solubility in water, both while heated and after cooling. Repeat the experiment using table salt, iodized salt, sea salt, kosher salt and rock salt. You can easily extend this lab experiment by using different types of water, such as distilled, purified, filtered or tap and recording the various effects on salt's solubility.
This experiment is messy, but it's fun and informative. You will need a food processor, 100 g (3.52 oz.) of ground beef, divided into two equal parts, 50 ml (1.69 oz.) of water, divided in two equal parts, 2 g (.07 oz.) of salt, gloves, and lots of paper towels and newspapers on the floors, walls and tabletops to avoid unwanted messes. Grind the first half of the meat and water in the food processor for 15 to 20 seconds. Take the meat out and flatten it like a hamburger patty. Test its stickiness by turning your hand with the meat patty in it upside down. Now throw it against the paper-covered wall and record your results. Repeat the grinding step with the other half of the meat, but add the salt to the water this time. Test its stickiness again, and record your results.
This simple experiment can be done over the course of several days for an extended lab activity. You will need hot water, salt, pieces of cardboard or a glass jar, string, pencils and tape. Dissolve as much salt in water as you can. You will know when it has reached capacity because crystals will begin to form on the bottom of the pot with the solution in it. You can dip pieces of cardboard into the supersaturated salt solution and lay them out to dry in warm, well-lit places for salt crystals to grow fairly quickly. Alternatively you can pour the salt solution into glass jars and place a pencil with a piece of string hanging down from it into the jar. Be sure that the string is suspended, or the experiment will not work. As the water evaporates, salt crystals will cling to the string, and after several days you can observe their formations. For an extension activity, try this using different types of salts and waters. Impurities found in tap water can affect size, shape and the coloration of salt crystals.
This experiment is more advanced and is suitable for students more proficient in the lab. You will need protective eyeglasses, a heat source, a beaker, a conical flask, a funnel and filter paper, an evaporating basin, and a salt/sand solution that is 20 percent salt. Pour the salt/sand mixture into the beaker so that the bottom is just covered. Add water until it is 20 percent full. Stir. Filter the salt/sand mixture into the conical flask through the funnel lined with filter paper. Pour the filtered mixture into the evaporating basin, and heat it slowly until it begins to decrepitate, or "spit," according to Practical Chemistry. Leave the still-damp salt to dry in the dish, and record the results after the salt is completely dry.