disalt

Disalt is a term that appears in some chemical and general literature but is not a formal IUPAC designation. In many sources it is used informally to describe a double salt, that is, a single crystalline compound containing ions derived from two different salts or acids. Because the usage is nonstandard, the precise meaning can vary between authors.

In chemistry, the concept most closely associated with disalt is the double salt. A double salt forms when two simple salts crystallize together in a single lattice, producing a compound that can dissociate into its constituent salts upon dissolution. An often-cited example is Mohr’s salt, ammonium iron(II) sulfate hexahydrate, which is described in some texts as a double salt of iron(II) sulfate with ammonium sulfate. Double salts are typically prepared by combining the component salts in specific stoichiometries and may exhibit properties that differ from the individual salts, such as distinct solubility or stability in solution.

Disalt can also appear in pharmaceutical or formulation discussions to indicate a drug that exists as two salt forms or as a compound containing two counterions. In modern nomenclature, however, more precise terms such as “double salt” or explicit salt naming are generally preferred to avoid ambiguity.

In summary, disalt is a nonstandard term most often related to double salts, but its meaning is not fixed and varies by source. See also double salt, salt, and hydrate.