- Salt is simply an ionic combination between a metal and a nonmetal.
- Sodium chloride (NaCl), good old table salt, is one example.
- Salts are linked to acids and bases through neutralization reactions. When a strong acid and a strong base react, water and a salt are formed.
- A binary salt such as NaCl or potassium chloride (KCl) consists of only two elements: a single positive ion (Na+, K+) and a single negative ion (Cl-). Other examples of binary salts are aluminum fluoride (AlF3), lithium chloride (LiCl), and potassium iodide (KI).
- Other salts consist of one or more cations and a polyatomic anion. Examples are potassium sulfate (K2SO4), ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), and magnesium phosphate (Mg(H2PO4)2).
- The solubility of a salt is an important property. Solubility tells us how much of a substance can be dissolved in a given volume of liquid.
- Many salts are highly soluble in water, making them good sources of nutrient elements that plants can use.
- Not all salts are water soluble, though. Silver chloride, barium sulfate, as well as many carbonates, are considered insoluble.
- The physical properties of water change when salts are dissolved in it. These so-called colligative properties include the shifting of freezing and boiling points.
- If a salt solution is saturated, no more of the solid compound will dissolve. As a result, a precipitate of undissolved material forms.
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