why is rain not salty?

Answer 1

Because salt does not evaporate.

Answer 2

The Sun draws water from the ocean only in the sense of heating the water enough to evaporate it. The water molecules near the sea's surface bop around. As the Sun heats the water, the water molecules jiggle more. That's what heating water means — increasing the average speed of the molecules.

Seawater also contains dissolved salt (sodium chloride), which is a collection of electrically charged particles called ions. Sodium ions have a positive and chloride ions a negative charge. Water molecules, coincidentally, also have slight end charges — plus on one end and minus on the other. (The overall charges of a molecule balance but the positive-charge and negative-charge centers don't coincide. This permanent mismatch charges the ends.)

Salt ions drift around in the water and attract the oppositely-charged ends of water molecules. So, electrical bonds lightly hold salt ions to water molecules.

The Sun heats the water molecules; they jiggle faster and kick nearby water molecules. The extra kick energy breaks the electrical bonds binding the water molecules with salt ions, and careens the water molecules into the air. Almost all the salt ions stay behind.

Salt also evaporates but at a much slower rate — negligible at sea temperatures. So essentially no salt accompanies the water as it evaporates into the air.

Salt, however, does enter the atmosphere, just not through evaporation. Instead, it comes in as tiny salty water droplets — for example, via "bubbles formed by breaking waves," says Craig Bohren, author of Clouds in a Glass of Beer. "These droplets can evaporate, leaving behind small salt grains."

So, when it rains, it rains salty water. Not very salty — not enough to taste, but still salty. In fact, "cloud droplets form by condensation of water vapor on small soluble particles, often salt (sodium chloride)," says Bohren. "These droplets can coalesce to form much larger rain drops.

Of course, much more junk makes its way into our atmosphere and rains out — "disintegrating micrometeorites, industrial pollution, dust, and an occasional small frog or fish that gets picked up by a particularly energetic storm," says Bob Harbort of Southern Polytechnic State University

Answer 3

Rain isn't salty because when water evaporates from oceans, the minerals (i.e. salt) stay behind because they are actually in tiny crystals, not completely dissolved into the water.

Answer 4

because when the water evaporates into the air from the ocean the salt stays in the water (it doesn't evaporate too)... you can make some salt water, dissolve the salt into the water then boil it... you will have salt left over because NaCl doesn't turn into vapor at the same temp as water

Answer 5

Because when water evaporates it does not take any impurities with it. liquid water is a solvent and can contain any number of chemicals dissolved in it. But when it becomes vapor it is in a gaseous state and cannot dissolve anything.

Answer 6

When the water evaporates, it turns into pure H2O, gas form. This leaves all the bad stuff behind.

Answer 7

Evaporation, condensation, salt is too heavy and can't be condensed in a cloud i'd presume.

Answer 8

because when it evaporates, the salt is left behind, only the water will evaporate, all the addatives will be left behind, i saw it on tv before, its a good way to purify water, because all of the impurities will be left behind when it evaporates

Answer 9

Water evaporates, salt doesn't. How else do you think you get sea salt?

Answer 10

cuz the salt doesnt evaporate into the clouds ?