内蒙古化学史研究V．盐湖的开采与利用

THE HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY IN INNER MONGOLIA V. The Expoloitation and Use of Salt Lakes in Inner Mongolia

食盐（ＮａＣｌ）是人类生活的必需品，又是重要的工业原料。内蒙古地区盐湖众多，湖盐储量大，含盐率高。本文阐述内蒙古地区盐湖的分布概况，探索盐湖最早开采、利用的年代以及盐湖的生产方法问题。文献资料表明，内蒙古地区的盐湖早在汉武帝元狩四年即公元前１１９年前即已开采利用。内蒙古地区湖盐的矿床形态不同于其它盐矿（如海盐、井盐等），其卤水多已饱和，多数盐湖中盐已结晶析出，所以旧时采盐主要靠晒、捞、耙、搂，人工生产。

The common salt (sodium chloride,NaCl)is an essential necessity of human life,and also an important raw material for many industries,There are numerous lakes in Inner Mongo lia with high salt content.In this paper,the salt lakes dispersed in this region are enumerated.The question when men in Inner Mongolia started exploiting these lakes and what methods were used are investigated. Historical document shows that the exploitation of salt lakesin Inner Mongolia was started no later than the fourth year of Yuan Shou period in thereign of Emperor Wu Di in the Western Han Dynasty,i.e,119B. C. InnerMongolia salt lakes exhibit marked differences in the form of salt bed from the other saltmines such as sea water or salt wells. Many of these lakes are saturated(or nearlysaturated)with bittern and thick layers of salt are deposited.Thus,the exploitation of salt inold days comprised mainly evaporating brine in the un or dredging by hand with a big ladlewhose bottom was made with niany small holes to leak bittern. The whole process of salt production was carried out manually.