Salt (chemistry)

A salt is an assembly of cations and anions with zero total electric charge. Its constituents can be single chemical atoms or groups joined internally by covalent bonds. Thus ionic bonding and covalent bonds can occur in the same chemical substance, at different structural levels.^[ref]

A calcium salt of bilirubin, important among the components of pigment gallstones.

Magnesium chloride is an ionic compound with two chloride anions per magnesium cation. Complete dissolution supplies one divalent magnesium ion and two monovalent chloride ions per formula unit. At analytical salt concentration $C$, these species contribute molar ionic strength $I=\frac{1}{2}(4C+2C)=3C$, provided additional dissolved ions are absent.

A salt of potassium cations and permanganate anions, supplying permanganate in a redox titration.

For a neutral formula unit, let ${\nu }_i$ count ions of type $i$ with electric charge $z_{i}e$, where $e$ is the elementary charge. The stoichiometry must satisfyFor ${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$, the smallest positive counts are $1:1$. For ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{2+}$ and ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$, they are $1:2$, giving calcium chloride $\mathrm{CaC}{\mathrm{l}}_2$: $1(2)+2(-1)=0$. The formula counts ions, not the number of nearest neighbours. A counterion is the oppositely charged partner needed to balance a charged species; its identity can change solubility and other properties without changing the identity of that species.^[ref]

Historical formulation name; composition is identified by pharmacopoeial edition.