Tasting salt in solution

Factual Questions
1

What are we tasting when we taste salt in solution, such as in water? From what I understand, when sodium chloride is added to the water, the polar water molecules separate the sodium and chlorine ions from each other. Does this mean that when we taste a solution of salt, we are tasting individual sodium and chlorine molecules? We can’t be tasting the salt as if it were “together” since it’s no longer together. Any input?

Thanks.

2

You’re actually tasting the sodium ions.

3

[QUOTE=Shawn1767]
What are we tasting when we taste salt in solution, such as in water? From what I understand, when sodium chloride is added to the water, the polar water molecules separate the sodium and chlorine ions from each other. Does this mean that when we taste a solution of salt, we are tasting individual sodium and chlorine molecules? We can’t be tasting the salt as if it were “together” since it’s no longer together. Any input?

Thanks.
[/QUOTE]

Salt in solution is in fact the only think you can taste. Taste buds are chemical sensors that depend on molecules arriving dissolved in saliva.