Salt

Commonly, the word salt refers to table salt (sodium chloride).

In chemistry, a salt is a neutral compound composed of cations bound to anions. They are typically the product of a chemical reaction between;

a base and an acid, forming a salt + water, e.g. 2NaOH + H₂SO₄ --> Na₂SO₄ + 2H₂O sodium sulfate
a metal and an acid, forming a salt + hydrogen, e.g. Mg + H₂SO₄ --> MgSO₄ + H₂ magnesium sulfate
an acid forming oxide and a base forming oxide, forming a salt, e.g. CO₂ + CaO --> CaCO₃ calcium carbonate

In general, salts are ionic compounds which form crystals. They are often soluble in water, where the two ions separate. Salts typically have a high melting point, low hardness, and low compressibility. If molten or dissolved in water, they conduct electricity.

Salts are named according to their constituent ions. The cationic components, often metal ions or ammonium, are given first, followed by the anionic components. Anions are often named according to the their conjugate acid:

acetates are the salts of acetic acid
carbonates are the salts of carbonic acid
chlorides are the salts of hydrochloric acid
cyanides are the salts of hydrogen cyanide
nitrates are the salts of nitric acid
nitrites are the salts of nitrous acid
phosphates are the salts of phosphoric acid
sulfates are the salts of sulfuric acid
citrates are the salts of citric acid

External link

http://www.salt.org.il

Salt is also a municipality of over 20,000 people in Gironès comarca, Girona province, Catalonia, Spain.

Salt is also a term associated with cryptography