Sodium chloride Sodium chloride Sodium chloride , also known as salt (though sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35.45 g/mol respectively, 100 g of NaCl contains 39.34 g Na and 60.66 g Cl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of seawater and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms. In its edible form of table salt, it is commonly used as a condiment and food preservative. Large quantities of sodium chloride are
Composition of matter may be produced by mechanical or chemical operations, and its result may be a compound substance resolvable into its constituent elements by mechanical processes, or a new substance which can be destroyed only by chemical analysis. A newly synthesized chemical compound or molecule may be patented as a composition of matter. Patents have been allowed on transitory products, such as short-lived chemical intermediates. In "Diamond v. Chakrabarty", the United States Supreme Court held that a genetically-altered living microorganism was patent-eligible subject matter. The "Chakrabarty" Court said that "we must determine whether respondent's micro-organism constitutes a 'manufacture' or 'composition of matter'