<P> In chemistry, a salt is an ionic compound that can be formed by the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base . Salts are composed of related numbers of cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negative ions) so that the product is electrically neutral (without a net charge). These component ions can be inorganic, such as chloride (Cl), or organic, such as acetate (CH CO); and can be monatomic, such as fluoride (F), or polyatomic, such as sulfate (SO). </P> <P> Salts can be classified in a variety of ways . Salts that produce hydroxide ions when dissolved in water are called alkali salts . Salts that produce acidic solutions are acidic salts . Neutral salts are those salts that are neither acidic nor basic . Zwitterions contain an anionic and a cationic centres in the same molecule, but are not considered to be salts . Examples of zwitterions include amino acids, many metabolites, peptides, and proteins . </P>

Where does salt come from in the neutralization reaction