2.2 Salts

When an acid reacts with a base，two products are formed: water and salt. Salt is an ionic compound composed of positive ions and negative ions. The ionic bond is what keeps salts in their molecular forms. Some compounds look like salts，but are actually covalent compounds （have a covalent bond）. This type of acid-base reaction is called neutralization.

It is shown that the compound sodium chloride，a salt，is an electrovalent compound and is ionized in the solid or crystalline state. The crystal is made up of positive sodium ions and negative chloride ions oriented in a definite pattern.

Certain soluble salts （principally sodium，potassium，magnesium，and calcium） that have the property of combining with acids to form neutral salts are called alkalis. Two of the common salts are sodium chloride （NaCl） and calcium chloride （CaCl₂）. Unlike acids and bases，salts vary greatly in all their properties except their ionic characteristics.^⑤

Salts may taste salty，sour，bitter，astringent，sweet，or tasteless. Solutions of salts may be acidic，basic，or neutral to acid-base indicators. Fused salts and aqueous solutions of salts conduct an electric current. The reactions of salts are numerous and varied.