Why does an ice cube melt faster in freshwater than saltwater?

Answer 1

When Salt dissolves into water it requires energy. Some energy is consumed by the process of salt dissolution and the water stays colder (relatively) for a longer time, thus it takes longer for the ice to melt.

Answer 2

Tap water freezes at around 0 degrees Celsius (distilled water at exactly 0 degrees C, but tap water is not completely pure).

Salt water, or indeed any water containing contaminants, freezes at a lower temperature than 0 degrees C. As such, when freezing both tapwater and salt water, the salt water will take longer to freeze than the tapwater does.

Answer 3

Tap water I am sure because I tested it.

EDIT:

Salt water has a lower specific heat than fresh water and practically the same conductive properties. That means it would cool down around the ice more than fresh water and so would transfer less heat. So yes, tap water would melt ice faster.

Answer 4

in the fresh water the convection currents take the cold melt water to the bottom of the glass and replace it with warmer water at the top by the ice cube. This results in the ice cube melting quickly.

In the saltwater the liquid is denser than the fresh water so the cold melt water does not sink as quickly. This slows down the convection currents and results in the ice cube lasting longer

Answer 5

Ice does in fact melt faster in fresh water than salt. The reason is that salt water is more dense, therefore the ice will float more in salt water. If the ice floats more, the ice will be more exposed to air, and ice melts even slower in air, therefore slowing down the process of the melting. When conducting this experiment, make sure to rid any confounds such as type of water and temperature. Make sure everything is the same and you should get the results that I listed above.

Answer 6

Freezing point depression. this effect increases as you increase the concentration of the salt dissolved in the water. Also affected by the salt you are using.

Answer 7

Salt melts ice because the salt molecules in the salt water changes the water molecules in the ice.

Answer 8

It melts faster in the Joshua tree! The Joshua tree!

Answer 9

This depends on the temperature of tap water.