Salts are ionic compounds that contain two groups of positively charged ions (H+) and negatively charged ions (OH-). In chemistry, salt is produced when acids and bases are combined together in equal proportions. Whereas naturally, salt is found in sea water. The process where acids and bases neutralize each other to form salt and water is known as neutralization. The chemical formula of common salt is NaCl. NaCl stands for Sodium Chloride. Salt has many uses. For e.g. salt is used for cooking, salt is used during the production of toothpaste, plastic, soaps, bleaches, etc. The pH of salt is 7 which means that it is neutral in nature i.e. it is neither acidic nor basic.
Apart from sodium chloride, other common salts are sodium nitrate, barium sulfate etc. Sodium chloride or common salt is a product of the reaction between the hydrochloric acid (acid) and sodium hydroxide (base). Solid sodium chloride is made of a cluster of positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions held together by electrostatic forces.
