eli5: If vitamins are things considered essential to human life, why is salt not considered a vitamin?

Question

Salt isn’t regularly considered a spice, nor is it discussed as a vitamin like A, B, etc. But isn’t it necessary in small amounts for humans?

In: 402

Answer 1

Vitamins are biological compounds, i.e. they are carbon based and produced by lifeforms.

Salt is a mineral that naturally occurs, whether there is life or not. It‘s simply sodium and chloride.