salt

salt, in chemistry, substance produced by the reaction of an acid with a base. A salt consists of the positive ion (cation) of a base and the negative ion (anion) of an acid. The reaction between an acid and a base is called a neutralization reaction. The term salt is also used to refer specifically to common table salt, or sodium chloride. When in solution or the molten state, most salts are completely dissociated into negatively and positively charged ions and are good electrolytes (conductors of electricity).