Re: Why does putting salt on a napkin prevent a wet glass from sticking to it.

The question: "Why does putting salt on a napkin prevent a wet glass from sticking to it? The question came up at a bar as to why a bartender puts salt on the napkin to prevent the beer glass from sticking to it. All they do is sprinkle some on the napkin and the cold sweating beer glass will not stick to the napkin. If you have never seen this before I suggest doing some research this weekend :)"

You will find answers ranging from the ionic nature of salt to the salt's absorbing the moisture. You may even occasionally find an answer on the Internet that is the correct one: The salt simply keeps the napkin physically away from the surface of the mug!! The same thing could be accomplished with sand or corn meal, but the salt is readily available and cheap and easy to clean up.

John Link, MadSci Physicist