Title: salting out
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - salting out
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.S05450
Status: current

Definition
The addition of particular electrolytes to an aqueous phase in order to increase the distribution ratio of a particular solute.

Notes
1) The addition of electrolytes to improve phase separation behaviour should not be referred to as salting out.
2) The term is also used for the addition of electrolytes to reduce the mutual partial miscibility of two liquids.
3) It has no connection with synergism.

Related Terms
- miscibility: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/MT07230
- phase separation: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/P04534

Source
- PAC, 1993, 65, 2373. 'Nomenclature for liquid-liquid distribution (solvent extraction) (IUPAC Recommendations 1993)' on page 2379 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199365112373)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S05450/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S05450/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S05450/xml

Citation: Citation: 'salting out' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.S05450
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Accessed: 2026-07-21T21:04:43+00:00