Salt

Salt, common name for sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound with an equal number of sodium ions (+) and chlorine ions (−). It is found in seawater and in solid deposits (rock salt, or halite). Pure salt forms colorless-to-white odorless cubic crystals. An essential in the diet of humans and animals, salt is most familiarly used to flavor food. It is also used in much larger quantities to preserve hides in leathermaking, to manufacture soap, as a food curative and preservative, to keep highways ice-free in winter, and in the manufacture of sodium, chlorine, and sodium hydroxide.