Salt

: This article is about the general chemical term salt. For the everyday meaning, see edible salt or its main ingredient, sodium chloride. For other meanings of the word salt, see salt (disambiguation).

Appearance

Consistency

Salts are usually solid crystals with a relatively high melting point. However, there exist salts that are liquid at room temperature, so-called ionic liquids. Inorganic salts usually have a low hardness and a low compressibility, similar to table salt.

Related Topics:
Crystal - Melting point - Ionic liquid - Table salt

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Color

Salts can be clear and transparent (sodium chloride), opaque (titanium dioxide), and even metallic and lustrous (iron disulfide).

Related Topics:
Transparent - Opaque - Titanium dioxide - Iron disulfide

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Salts exist in all different colors, e.g.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

yellow (sodium chromate),

Related Topics:
Yellow - Chromate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

orange (sodium dichromate),

Related Topics:
Orange - Dichromate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

red (mercury sulfide),

Related Topics:
Red - Mercury sulfide

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

mauve (cobalt dichloride hexahydrate),

Related Topics:
Mauve - Cobalt

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

blue (copper sulfate pentahydrate, ferric hexacyanoferrate),

Related Topics:
Blue - Copper sulfate - Ferric hexacyanoferrate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

green (nickel oxide),

Related Topics:
Green - Nickel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

colorless (magnesium sulfate),

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

white (titanium dioxide), and

Related Topics:
White - Titanium dioxide

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

black (manganese dioxide). Most minerals and inorganic pigments as well as many synthetic organic dyes are salts.

Related Topics:
Black - Manganese dioxide - Minerals - Pigment - Dye

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Taste

Different salts can elicit all five basic tastes, i.e. salty (sodium chloride), sweet (lead diacetate), sour (potassium bitartrate), bitter (magnesium sulfate), and umami or savory (monosodium glutamate).

Related Topics:
Basic taste - Lead - Potassium - Bitartrate - Bitter - Magnesium sulfate - Umami - Monosodium glutamate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Odor

Pure salts are odorless, while impure salts may smell after the acid (e.g. acetates like acetic acid (vinegar), cyanides like hydrogen cyanide (almonds)) or the base (e.g. ammonium salts like ammonia).

Related Topics:
Vinegar - Almond - Ammonia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~