A salt is an ionic compound when the ionizable hydrogen atom(s) of an acid is/are replaced by metal ion(s). Thus, salts can be formed by neutralizations and reactions between alkalis and other salts.

A Salt and Its Parent Acid

Cation and Anion

  A salt consists of a cation(positive charged) and an anion(negative charged). The cation of a salt comes from a base, and the anion comes from a parent acid.

Naming

  In formulae of salts formed from inorganic acids, the cation is usually written first; in formulae of salts formed from organic acids, the anion is usually written first.

  If the metal can form more than one kind of cations, a Roman numeral in brackets has to be written to show the oxidation number of the cation.

  If the salt contains one metallic element and one non-metallic element, the name of the non-metal ens in -ide.

  If the anion of the salt is a polyatomic ion which contains oxygen, the name ends in -ate or -ite.