Sodium Vs Salt

[hazelm]

A friend's doctor told her that sodium and salt are not the same thing.  Yet I see sodium and salt used as synonyms in many a medical paper.  Plus blood workups always name sodium and doctors say cut back on salt.  IF her doctor is right, would someone please explain?  Thank you. 

[Moronium]

When you think of salt, the chances are its table salt that you picture – the kind of salt you’d find in the kitchen cupboard at home, the kind that you shake on your chips.

 

And while that is salt – common salt – NaCl – there’s also a lot more to it than that.

 

‘Salt’ is the generic name we use to describe any substance produced by the reaction of an acid with a base – a process known as a neutralisation reaction. All these salts share some characteristics: their ionic bonds, their relatively high melting points, their electrical conductivity when melted or in solution and their crystalline structure as a solid.

 

 

https://www.saltassociation.co.uk/education/salt/

 

Salt and sodium are often used interchangeably, but are they the same thing? Not exactly.  Sodium is a mineral that occurs naturally in foods or is added during manufacturing - or both.

 

Now let’s look at table salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride. By weight, table salt is approximately 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride.

 

https://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/salt-vs-sodium

Edited February 18, 2019 by Moronium

[exchemist]

Sodium, Na, is an element. Sodium chloride, NaCl, is one of its compounds. The sodium ion, Na+, is what is meant by people speaking of sodium in a medical context. Elemental sodium is a highly reactive metal!

[hazelm]

There is way more to your question than I thought, salt isnt all the same.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_(chemistry)#Types_of_salts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt

 

I am sure exchemist can fill in the gaps :)

Like Epsom salts?

[hazelm]

Thank you, both.  Sounds like doctor was paying attention in chemistry class.  And I just realized something.  In blood workups - well, in mine anyway - sodium and chloride are listed separately.  Very interesting.  I'll pass it on to my friend.

[fahrquad]

Potassium Chloride is a salt too.  Any good lab will list serum potassium, sodium, chloride, bilirubin, creatinine,  and other chemicals and compounds individually.