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The chemical combination of certain cations with certain anions originates what in chemistry are called you go out. In nature there are numerous salts dissolved in the seas or precipitated, forming minerals of medium or high complexity. In general these are mineral salts, that is, formed by inorganic elements.
It is estimated that a liter of seawater contains an average of 33 to 39 grams of salt. Many salts have important domestic uses, others are essential for industry or construction.
The salts often have a crystalline ultrastructure, although in liquid media they are dissolved and ionized. Salts are essential for living beings, they help to maintain cell homeostasis and osmotic balance for its ability to adsorb water molecules.
However, an excess of salts can lead to serious health problems, such as arterial hypertension. Some living things need mineral salts to form external protective structures, like shells and shells. And it must be taken into account that the bones of all vertebrates are made up of salts.
Where is the salt obtained from?
In nature many salts are concentrated in the salt flats, this is in surface lakes whose sediments are composed of salts. As the water evaporates by the action of the sun, the salts accumulate.
They are famous in America, for example, the salar de Uyuni in Bolivia or that of Atacama in Chile. Likewise, there are endorheic seas or lakes very rich in salts: the best known example is that of the Dead Sea, located 416.5 meters below sea level, especially rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium and bromine salts. The salt content of the Dead Sea is around 28%.
Organic salts are the result of the reaction between an alkali, as sodium or potassium hydroxide, and some fatty acid. This process is known as saponification.Organic salts often have detergent properties, so they are often the basis for various cleaning products.
Examples of salts
| Sodium taurocholate | Benzalkonium Chloride. |
| Calcium carbonate | Calcium oxalate |
| Potassium bromide | Sodium bicarbonate |
| Magnesium sulphate | Disodium EDTA |
| Sodium chloride | Magnesium carbonate |
| Sodium hypochlorite | Copper sulphate |
| Tricalcium phosphate | Potassium citrate |
| Ammonium chloride | Ammonium sulphate |
| Sodium alkylsulfate | Sodium tellurite |
| Sodium alkylbenzenesulfonate | Potassium permanganate |
It can serve you:
- Mineral salts
- Oxisales salts
- Acid salts
- Neutral salts
