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).

Nomenclature

The name of a salt starts with the name of the cation (e.g. sodium or ammonium) followed by the name of the anion (e.g. chloride or acetate). Salts are often referred to only by the name of the cation (e.g. sodium salt or ammonium salt) or by the name of the anion (e.g. chloride or acetate).

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Common salt-forming cations are:

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• ammonium NH₄⁺
• calcium Ca²⁺
• iron Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺
• magnesium Mg²⁺
• potassium K⁺
• pyridinium C₅H₅NH⁺
• quaternary ammonium NR₄⁺
• sodium Na⁺

Common salt-forming anions (and the name of the parent acids in parenthese) are:

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• acetate CH₃-COO^- (acetic acid)
• carbonate CO₃^2- (carbonic acid)
• chloride Cl^- (hydrochloric acid)
• citrate HO-C(COO^-)(CH₂-COO^-)₂ (citric acid)
• cyanide C≡N^- (hydrogen cyanide)
• hydroxide OH^- (water)
• nitrate NO₃^- (nitric acid)
• nitrite NO₂^- (nitrous acid)
• oxide O^2- (water)
• phosphate PO₄^3- (phosphoric acid)
• sulfate SO₄^2- (sulfuric acid)