Salt

According to chemistry, the term "salt" is used for ionic compounds that is composed of positively charged cations and the negatively charged anions, so that the product remains neutral and without a net charge. The ions may be inorganic (Cl^-) as well as organic (CH_3-COO^-) and monoatomic (F^-) as well as polyatomic ions (SO₄^2-).

Salt's solution in water is called electrolytes. Both, the electrolytes and molten salts conduct electricity. Zwitterions are salts which has an anionic center and a cationic center in the same molecule. Few examples of it are the amino acids, many metabolites, peptides, and proteins.

Normal salt is a salt which do not contain a hydroxide ion (OH-) or a hydrogen ion (H+). Salts with H- are basic salts and with H+ are acid salts. The salt which has lost its saltiness is known as Impure salt. It also refers to natron.

Properties of Salt

Consistency - Usually salts are solid crystals having high melting point. However, there is also some salts which are in liquid state at room temperature. They are known as ionic liquids. The inorganic salts generally have low hardness and low compressibility, which is similar to the edible salt.

Color - Salts are clear and transparent (sodium chloride), opaque (titanium dioxide), and even metallic and lustrous (iron disulfide). It exists in all different colors, like yellow (sodium chromate), orange (sodium dichromate), red (mercury sulfide), mauve (cobalt dichloride hexahydrate), blue (copper sulfate pentahydrate, ferric hexacyanoferrate), green (nickel oxide), colorless (magnesium sulfate), white (titanium dioxide), and black (manganese dioxide). Most of the minerals and inorganic pigments and the synthetic organic dyes are salts.

Taste - It differes from salt to salt. It can elicit all the five basic tastes, like salty (sodium chloride), sweet (lead diacetate), sour (potassium bitartrate), bitter (magnesium sulfate), and umami or savory (monosodium glutamate).

Odor - Salts in pure form is odorless. Impure salts smell after the acid or the base.