Salt climbs out of a plastic glass

Question: what's going on here?
Answer: I don't know.

This phenomenon was discovered when I left a plastic cup with saturated salt solution on a table for two weeks vacation. The salt was all over the place, the cup was completely covered from inside and outside. So, I decided to make this 1.5 months timelapse (2 hours per frame).As you can see on the vid, during water evaporation the salt climbs up and even out of the cup.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• timelapse
• salt
• water
• physics
• experiment
• highspeed
• crystals

[bugpwr]

@huddledmarmot This does not explain anything, because it explains nothing about why the salt climbs out of the glass, where there was no solution before.

[sam9072000]

For basic of science, salt only appear at the bottom and salt doesn't climb, if evaporation occurs, salt will leave behind at the bottom of the cup, if you can give me the direction of how to do this, you may change my mind about science and take my words back

[bugpwr]

@sam9072000 Sam, this is clearly not what happens here. This was a plastic cup, and very saturated salt solution. I cheat you not. Try it yourself. I did in quite humid mediterranean climate, it took about a month. You could see salt climbing on the outer side and even on the floor.

[1crazyfocker]

the reason its "climbing" is because as the water evaporates it leaves a layer of salt.(duh i know) the new salt layer is higher then the water layer and still touching the water. and through capillary effect and wicking effect the salt pulls the water up and more salt, makeing a new layer a little higher then the last layer. the same way water climbs up a wick thats whats happening here, only its makeing its own wick of salt as it goes. now what do i win for getting it right, or am i to late?

[1crazyfocker]

@EyesFat yes, and no matter how much salt is in the water, evaporation will "leave behind" the salt and thus raise the concentration to the point where the it will start to crystalize, plus you only have so many characters in a comment to try and get your point across, and thus it is semantics! I am not disagreeing with what you said, you just went more indepth with it, but it is still the same thing.

[EyesFat]

@1crazyfocker not rly cuz if its low salt concentration it wouldnt crystalize. its to do with salt concentration of the main fluid in the cup, no rly the concentration of the stuff that gets left behind, although it does help in the process by seeding the solution

[1crazyfocker]

@EyesFat semantics!

[EyesFat]

@1crazyfocker that and evaporation lead to really high concentration of salt, not so much as the salt being left behind. This lead to crystalization

[FlexDoRight]

All of you all are wrong! This is just the cup taking the initiative and suggesting you turn it into a margarita!

[jewelandloreeshow]

Uhhh why was this recommended for me?

[PREPAREFORTHEKING]

i now understand everything there is to know about the universe...thank you

[vTheDarknessv]

Saltwater - water = Salt

[MrRentcontrol]

HOW DO YOU SERIOUSLY NOT UNDERSTAND EVAPORATION!?!?

[xplodepaintball]

you filmed a cup of salt water for a month just to show this? wat the hell man how did i get here