If you've ever added salt to a pot of boiling water, you may have noticed that it increases the water's boiling point. That's because when salt is added to water, it lowers the water's freezing point. As a result, saltwater can actually get hotter than regular freshwater before it boils.
The reason for this has to do with how molecules interact with each other. When water freezes, the molecules line up in a crystalline structure and are held together by hydrogen bonds. Salt disrupts these bonds, which is why it melts ice. But at the same time, salt also creates new bonds between the water molecules.
These new bonds require more energy to break, which means that it takes longer for saltwater to reach its boiling point. In fact, adding just 1 gram of salt per 100 grams of water can raise the boiling point by 0.5 degrees Celsius.
So if you're looking to boil some seafood or make a nice pot of pasta, make sure to add some salt to your water!