Chapter Twelve

Solutions

A n In-Depth Look

at the

Dead Sea

Facets of Chemistry
It is a landlocked lake, yet people call
it a sea. Certain microscopic bacteria seem to thrive in its waters, yet
people call it dead. Together, these
misnomers form the name of one of
the most unusual bodies of water
the Dead Sea.
Nestled in the hills of Judea, the
Dead Sea lies 418 meters (1371 feet)
below sea level, making it the lowest point on the earth (excluding the
oceans). It covers an area 67 kilometers (42 miles) long and up to 16 kilometers (10 miles) wide, encompassing
about 647 square kilometers (250
square miles). A peninsula divides the
sea into two unequal basins. The large
northern basin averages about 396
meters (1300 feet) deep. The smaller
southern basin has an average depth
of only 6 meters (20 feet).
The Dead Sea receives its water
from the Jordan River and four minor streams. The water from these
sources picks up many chemicals as
it mixes with hot sulfur springs and
flows through the regions salty soil.
Unlike many other lakes, the Dead
Sea has no outlets. Scorching temperatures keep the water level constant by evaporating as much as six
million tons of water per day. Sometimes so much water evaporates that
heavy clouds form above the surface
of the water. While evaporation removes water, it leaves many dissolved
minerals behind. Over the centuries,
minerals have accumulated and increased in concentration. Dissolved
minerals now account for nearly 30

percent of the waters weight. This

is seven and one-half times the concentration of salts in the oceans. The
brine is so concentrated that it leaves
a feeling of nausea if it is tasted; an
oily, slippery feeling if touched; and a
white crust of chemicals after it dries.
The increased solute content causes
the sea to have a much higher density than other fresh water. This causes
some objects to float that would normally sink.
Due to rapid population growth
in Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank
(which all surround the sea), water
that used to supply the Jordan River
is now being diverted for drinking
water and irrigation. Consequently,
the incoming water cannot keep up
with the rate of evaporation. The
Dead Seas depth is currently dropping about one meter (3 feet) annually. As a result, the sea is getting saltier
and smaller year by year.
The water of the Dead Sea is not
evenly mixed. Different areas of water
contain different minerals. The upper
layer, for example, is rich in sulfates
and bicarbonates, whereas the lower
zone contains hydrogen sulfide and
strong concentrations of magnesium,
potassium, chlorine, and bromine.
The concentration of salts increases
with depth. Concentrated salt solutions are denser than pure water, so
they sink toward the bottom. Sodium
chloride saturates the deep waters of
the Dead Sea so much that it remains
permanently on the bottom. The
floor of the sea is covered with salt

crystals.
If the waters of the Dead Sea
could speak, they could add many exciting details to biblical history. Much
history lies beneath the murky waters
of the southern basin. Here the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah once existed. When their wickedness became
too great for Jehovah to tolerate,
He rained down fire and brimstone
(burning sulfur) upon the cities. Today the waters of the southern basin
cover the sites of these ancient cities.
The many valuable chemicals in
the Dead Seas waters have attracted
several mining operations. The area
near historical Sodom is now the site
of a large chemical industry. The first
chemical plant established at Sodom
began in 1929. At that time a Jewish engineer secured the rights to
extract minerals from the Dead Sea.
Two years later he marketed the first
purified potassium chloride. By World
War II, half of Britains annual supply
of potassium chloride came from this
source. Unfortunately, the 194849
ArabIsraeli war largely destroyed the
chemical plant. In 1952, a new company called the Dead Sea Works, Ltd.
was founded. In a greatly expanded
operation, it now extracts large quantities of chlorides, bromides, chlorates, and bromates, as well as many
other chemicals from the waters of
the Dead Sea. It is also one of the
worlds biggest providers of potash
for fertilizer production.