SALT

A salt is a compound formed when one or more of the hydrogen atoms of an acid are replaced by one or more cations of the base. The common example is sodium chloride in which the hydrogen ions of hydrochloric acid are replaced by the sodium ions (cations) of sodium hydroxide. There is a great variety of salts because of the large number of acids and bases that has become known.

Classification

Salts are classified in several ways. One method — normal, acid, and basic salts — depends upon whether all the hydrogen ions of the acid or all the hydroxide ions of the base have been replaced:

Class	Examples
Normal salts
Acid salts
Basic salts

The other method — simple salts, double salts (including alums), and complex salts — depends upon the character of completeness of the ionization:

Class	Examples
Simple salts
Double salts
Alums
Complex salts

In general, all salts in solution will give ions of each of the metal ions: an exception is the complex type of salt such asand

Any aggregate of molecules, atoms, or ions joined together with a coordinate covalent bond can be correctly called salt; however, by common parlance, the term salt usually refers to an electrovalent compound, the classical example of which is sodium chloride.