Chapter Twelve Solutions

An In-De p t h Lo o k a t t h e De ad Se a Facets of Chemistry

It is a landlocked lake, yet people call percent of the water’s weight. This crystals. it a sea. Certain microscopic bacte- is seven and one-half times the con- If the waters of the Dead Sea ria seem to thrive in its waters, yet centration of salts in the oceans. The could speak, they could add many ex- people call it “dead.” Together, these brine is so concentrated that it leaves citing details to biblical history. Much misnomers form the name of one of a feeling of nausea if it is tasted; an history lies beneath the murky waters the most unusual bodies of water— oily, slippery feeling if touched; and a of the southern basin. Here the cities the Dead Sea. white crust of chemicals after it dries. of Sodom and Gomorrah once exist- Nestled in the hills of Judea, the The increased solute content causes ed. When their wickedness became Dead Sea lies 418 meters (1371 feet) the sea to have a much higher densi- too great for Jehovah to tolerate, below sea level, making it the low- ty than other fresh water. This causes He rained down fire and brimstone est point on the earth (excluding the some objects to float that would nor- (burning sulfur) upon the cities. To- oceans). It covers an area 67 kilome- mally sink. day the waters of the southern basin ters (42 miles) long and up to 16 kilo- Due to rapid population growth cover the sites of these ancient cities. meters (10 miles) wide, encompassing in Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank The many valuable chemicals in about 647 square kilometers (250 (which all surround the sea), water the Dead Sea’s waters have attracted square miles). A peninsula divides the that used to supply the Jordan River several mining operations. The area sea into two unequal basins. The large is now being diverted for drinking near historical Sodom is now the site northern basin averages about 396 water and irrigation. Consequently, of a large chemical industry. The first meters (1300 feet) deep. The smaller the incoming water cannot keep up chemical plant established at Sodom southern basin has an average depth with the rate of evaporation. The began in 1929. At that time a Jew- of only 6 meters (20 feet). Dead Sea’s depth is currently drop- ish engineer secured the rights to The Dead Sea receives its water ping about one meter (3 feet) annual- extract minerals from the Dead Sea. from the Jordan River and four mi- ly. As a result, the sea is getting saltier Two years later he marketed the first nor streams. The water from these and smaller year by year. purified potassium chloride. By World sources picks up many chemicals as The water of the Dead Sea is not War II, half of Britain’s annual supply it mixes with hot sulfur springs and evenly mixed. Different areas of water of potassium chloride came from this flows through the region’s salty soil. contain different minerals. The upper source. Unfortunately, the 1948–49 Unlike many other lakes, the Dead layer, for example, is rich in sulfates Arab‑Israeli war largely destroyed the Sea has no outlets. Scorching tem- and bicarbonates, whereas the lower chemical plant. In 1952, a new com- peratures keep the water level con- zone contains hydrogen sulfide and pany called the Dead Sea Works, Ltd. stant by evaporating as much as six strong concentrations of magnesium, was founded. In a greatly expanded million tons of water per day. Some- potassium, chlorine, and bromine. operation, it now extracts large quan- times so much water evaporates that The concentration of salts increases tities of chlorides, bromides, chlo- heavy clouds form above the surface with depth. Concentrated salt solu- rates, and bromates, as well as many of the water. While evaporation re- tions are denser than pure water, so other chemicals from the waters of moves water, it leaves many dissolved they sink toward the bottom. Sodium the Dead Sea. It is also one of the minerals behind. Over the centuries, chloride saturates the deep waters of world’s biggest providers of potash minerals have accumulated and in- the Dead Sea so much that it remains for fertilizer production. creased in concentration. Dissolved permanently on the bottom. The minerals now account for nearly 30 floor of the sea is covered with salt