system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Do all salts taste 'salty' i.e. Like sodium chloride? What about other sodium salts? Other chlorides? Alkali metals? Halides? Etc...
gpt
The perceived taste of a substance is due to the brain's interpretation of signals from taste receptors on the tongue. In order to trigger these receptors, a substance (usually) must bind properly to or pass through a protein receptor/channel on its surface. The *salty* taste is the simplest mechanism: Na^+ ions directly enter the cell and depolarize it (change its charge, causing an action potential/nerve signal to be sent to the brain).

So, metal salts consisting of other positive ions that can trick the channel into thinking they're sodium should also depolarize it, which the brain will interpret as *salty*. These would be the others in the same column, the alkali metals, which will be similar in size and their +1 charge in solution. But, since the ions will be somewhat different in size, they won't pass through the channel as easily/often, which means the ions will taste less *salty*. LiCl and KCl will be saltier, while RbCl and CsCl will be less so because of their larger sizes.

If you change out the anion in the salt (Cl^- ), there is less effect. Sodium bromide (NaBr) will taste salty. But you get more complicated effects if you start changing both ions: KBr changes taste with concentration due to differing sensitivities of receptors for the two ions, the weaker saltiness of K^+ not always overpowering. Anything that produces H^+ ions, (i.e. an acid compound) is also going to taste sour, as that ion is the trigger for *sour*. Pick something with wild organic groups like Pb(CH3COO)2, and it could even taste sweet.

Edit: K^- to K^+