Sodium chloride /ˌsoʊdiəm ˈklɔraɪd/ , also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions.hen dissolved in water, the sodium chloride framework disintegrates as the Na + and Cl − ions become surrounded by the polar water molecules. These solutions consist of metal aquo complex with the formula [Na(H 2 O) 8 ] + , with the Na-O distance of 250 pm.