salt

In chemistry, any compound formed from an acid and a base through the replacement of all or part of the hydrogen in the acid by a metal or electropositive radical. Common salt is sodium chloride.

A salt may be produced by a chemical reaction between an acid and a base, or by the displacement of hydrogen from an acid by a metal (see displacement reaction). As a solid, the ions normally adopt a regular arrangement to form crystals. Some salts form only stable crystals as hydrates (when combined with water). Most inorganic salts readily dissolve in water to give an electrolyte (a solution that conducts electricity).