Book 1

Katarina Book
English 101
Ms. Rivera
10/27/13
NaCl vs. CnH2nOn
When placed side by side, salt and sugar in their traditional forms can only be
distinguished by tasting one or both of the white, crystalline solids. Both are important in
cooking and in flavoring, and both have been used around the world for centuries. If you use the
wrong substance while making something, like a dessert or seasoning for a steak, whether you
accidently put sugar in the seasoning or salt in the tasty apple pie, it wouldnt take too long for
you to recognize something went very wrong. They both have distinct flavors. When viewing the
crystalline ingredients from this angle, they seem extremely similar, especially if you lack the
ability to taste. But aside from their opposite flavors, do they really differ much? Are their uses,
compositions, forms, and results really that similar? Well, listen up (to that voice in your head
that you hear when you read) because youll be learning how different salt and sugar are and why
one is better than the other.
First well start with their origins. Food used to be sweetened with honey until the 18th
century when sugar first became available to everyday people. The use of salt, on the other hand,
can be traced back over 6,000 years. Sugar was and still is derived from sugarcane and sugar
beets, which are plants if you hadnt already known that. This means that at any particular time,
sugar can become extinct. Think about that one. You never know when a climate shift, such as
another ice age, can arrive and destroy all these plants. Then where will your sugar come from?
No other plant has sugar present in sufficient concentrations for efficient extraction (Sugar).
Salt is produced from salt mines or by the evaporation of seawater or mineral-rich spring water

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in shallow pools (Salt). Yes, salt mines may and probably will deplete one day, but it would be
very difficult to turn every body of saltwater (such as the oceans) into freshwater entities.
By now you should be able to recognize that Im pro salt. Even their chemical
compositions prove salt it better. Salt in its pure form is sodium chloride, or NaCl. Almost every
type of sugar is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen which means sugars chemical
formula is typically CnH2nOn, with n being between three and seven. Doesnt your brain hurt
trying to figure that out? It should. A sugars molecular structure looks something like this:

while salts structure is far less complicated:

Their

structures alone show how more complex sugar is than salt. Furthermore, NaCl is much easier
to remember than CnH2nOn. The mere appearance of unknown tiny letters and numbers scares
people away, especially those who loath algebra.
When salt isnt stark white, thats because some other minerals havent been completely
removed from the batch. (Note that salt is a mineral) Some prefer their salt to be less processed
in this way just like certain people prefer their sugar to appear more natural. Let me explain. Did
you know sugar really isnt white? The white sugar you use, probably on a daily basis, has been
refined and bleached to appear white and clean. This long process strips away nearly all nutrients
found in sugar, completely removing anything good from this natural product. Brown sugar is
the unrefined form of sugar and contains all of the following: vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6,
calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. Calcium makes up 9%, and
iron forms 15% of brown sugar. The white sugar we typically use has miniscule amounts of B2,
calcium, iron, and potassium, only a tiny fragment of what naturally composes sugar.

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What do we use sugar for? Well, of course we use it as an ingredient in food. But other
than that and the market it creates with its production, sugar is practically useless. Salt, on the
other hand, is very versatile. Did you know only about 6% of the salt manufactured in the world
is used in food (Salt)? More than 65% is used for manufacturing and other industrial
processes (Salt). Salt is consumed in processes to make products such as soap, aluminum, and
pottery. To explain how many different things salt is used to create and how many diverse roles
salt acquires will take forever, so I wont bore you talking about it.
This still leaves about 25% of salt utilized in other facets of life. Think about all the
frozen and seasonal parts of the world. What do people spread over roads, sidewalks, and
parking lots when there is ice or snow? You got it: salt. Imagine all the problems humans would
face today if they had to drive to work with ice on the road or walk to the store and to school
when it had snowed/iced and there was no salt below your feet to melt away the patches of ice.
The number of accidents and injuries would skyrocket, bringing the sum of lawsuits up as well.
Thinking about this in an extreme angle, the world would become chaotic, more so than it
already is. Still, using salt to de-ice highways and such is only 8% of the total sodium chloride
consumption. The remaining salt is used for agriculture and in water conditioning processes.
More than this, though, salt is a healing agent. Especially used in developing countries
where medication is tough to get their hands on, salt is the peoples way of treating wounds and
healing oneself. Salt mixed with water is often used today even in sophisticated countries to
relieve sore throats and flush ones gums if there had been surgeries or removed teeth. This
mineral meets multiple other purposes such as dehydrating meats and foods for preservation;
cultural and spiritual significance in religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity; and

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is placed in East Asian condiments such as soy sauce to replace table salt since salt isnt a regular
table condiment in certain areas of the world.
Centuries ago, salt was used to trade for other luxurious items and was even introduced as
currency in southern Africa. Sugar has been a major bartering pawn as well, but can you think of
any wars fought over it? I didnt think so. You probably cant think of any that have been fought
over salt either, but youd be surprised how well-known and relevant some are. One war, fought
between Venice and Genoa where Venice came out on top, even influenced the American
Revolution. That makes it personal, considering we are Americans. The French Revolution was
sparked by the high tax on salt, among other things. Peoples all over the world and throughout
history have strove for this valuable mineral, even shedding blood to obtain it and regulate taxes
imposed on it.
Speaking of the world, did you know the United States is one of the top producers of salt?
Before 2011, the U.S. had even been at the peak of the list. Now were just below China, with
Germany coming in third. And did you also know that China and Germany are two of our biggest
allies? If something were to happen like a collapse in our salt production or, lets say, another
big war our allies would have our backs. Sugar, however, is produced mostly in Brazil, with
India and the European Union succeeding it. The United States is ranked much lower here than
in salts production list and is one of the largest importers of this bleached substance. If we, for
whatever reason, had to boycott the importation of foreign sugars, there would be a large number
of angry Americans because of the skyrocketing price of not only sugar but sweeteners and other
products derived from and made with sugar. Even Splenda, known to be different because its
technically not sugar, is still made from sugar.

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Im going to bring up one more bizarre thing that most people do not know. Sugar is
hazardous. How so? you may ask. Its flammable, while salt is not. Sugar is an organic
substance that burns easily upon exposure to an open flame. Because of this, the handling of
sugar presents a risk for dust explosion (Sugar). This sweet and seemingly innocent substance
really isnt so sweet and innocent after all. Sugar being dangerous isnt just a threat or something
being said here to influence you. Its a fact, and heres proof: In 2008, there was a sugar refinery
explosion in Georgia. [Georgia? Wait, thats not some foreign nation youve never heard of
before. Thats pretty close to home.] This explosion, caused by sugar dust being ignited, killed 14
people and injured 40 more. Even a special truck had to be called to extinguish the fire since it
was burning so fiercely at 4,000oF (Sugar). Think about the last time you were exposed to
temperatures that high.
Not only is sugar literally dangerous, but it also causes a bunch of hidden problems that
start out small and end dramatically, sometimes with death. Salt can cause health problems as
well, such as issues with blood pressure, but thats only when you consume entirely too much.
How many people have you known personally or heard of, perhaps on the news or through the
spread of gossip, that have died from an overconsumption of sodium chloride? Now, think of
how many people that has died from ingesting too much sugar. I know what youre thinking:
neither substance kills people. But youre wrong. Sugar is found in Americas favorite foods,
snacks and drinks such as cakes, ice-cream, cereals and soft drinks. Having such a large
consumption of sugar, the United States has been rated one of the most obese countries in the
world. Here are some figures for the quantitative people: According to statistics from the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36 percent of adults and 17 percent of children and
teens in America are obese (Obesity Overview), and this isnt counting those of us who are

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considered overweight, a step down from obesity. And what does obesity cause? Obesity can
trigger a wide variety of problems ranging from high blood pressure and diabetes to
cardiovascular diseases and cancer. To simplify things, sugar causes obesity, obesity causes
health problems, and health problems cause death. Thus, sugar equals death.
Besides great health problems (and death), sugar causes tooth decay, especially in
younger children who dont know how to take care of their teeth as well as adults do. The
decaying of ones teeth makes the parents wallet hurt because you have to go to a dentist, often
multiple times, and get cavities taken care of. Going to a dentist is expensive, particularly if you
dont have dental insurance. Not only does sugar cause tooth decay, but it produces hyperactivity,
again mostly in children, and for some, it can be an addiction. Coffee and soft drinks are big
addictions because of the sugar in these drinks and also because of the caffeine. Even alcohol has
lots of sugar, especially wines and umbrella drinks. Candy and sugar itself can become an
addiction, and one will often have cravings and withdrawals when they havent had their sugar
fix. Some scientists assert that consumption of sweets or sugar could have a heroin addiction
like effect (Sugar). Do you want to live your life like a heroin addict going through withdrawal?
I didnt think so.
Obviously, salt triumphs over sugar. Only a sugar addict can argue that sugar is better,
and thats because theyre so blind by their obsession. Salt has so many more purposes, and you
actually cant survive without it. When your body sweats, youre technically sweating saltwater.
The salt lost when you sweat needs to be replaced, and you have to have a certain amount of
sodium in your body at all times to keep your systems functioning correctly. Even if someone
needed sugar to survive, there are plenty of natural sugars in fruits that would make up for it. You

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dont need sugar. Though it looks and may appear to be just like salt, sugar is completely
different and far less superior.

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Works Cited
"Obesity Overview." Vitals. MDX Medical, Inc., 2006. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.vitals.com/ patienteducation/obesity?gclid=CJ7Q97nluboCFa47Mgodz
F4Aug>.
"Salt." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 2001. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt#Edible_salt>.
"Sodium Chloride(Na2Cl2)(CAS No. 12258-98-9)." Guidechem.com. Guidechem, 2010. Web.
30 Oct. 2013. <http://www.guidechem.com/reference/dic-400143.html>.
"Sugar." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 2001. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar>