salting out

noun

, Chemistry.

1. the addition of salt to a mixture to precipitate proteins, soaps, and other simple organic compounds.

Word History and Origins

Origin of salting out¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

And although irrigation has helped countries with high birthrates avert hunger, it has reintroduced the hoary nemesis that played a big role in the downfall of Mesopotamia and Babylon: the salting out of the soil.

From Time Magazine Archive

Salt, known as sodium chloride, is used to a large extent in soap making for "salting out" the soap during saponification, as well as graining soaps.

From Project Gutenberg

It will be noticed that in this simple method of soap-making, there is no salting out to separate the true soap from the watery solution of glycerine, for no glycerine is present.

From Project Gutenberg

The separation of the sulphonic acids from sulphuric acid is effected by salting out the former with common salt, or by removing the sulphuric acid with calcium, barium, or lead salts, provided that the sulphonic acid salts of these metals are soluble in water.

From Project Gutenberg

A disadvantage of this synthetic tannin is its complete incapability of dissolving phlobaphenes, which is even so far extended as to precipitate otherwise easily soluble tannins when adding it to solutions of the latter in comparatively large proportions; here, again, the salts are responsible for this behaviour, their large quantities effecting a salting out of the natural tannins.

From Project Gutenberg