ions in their gas-like state are highly reactive and will rapidly interact with ions of opposite charge to give neutral molecules or ionic salts. ions are also produced in the liquid or solid state when salts interact with solvents (for example, water) to produce "solvated ions", which are more stable, for reasons involving a combination of energy and entropy changes as the ions move away from each other to interact with the liquid. these stabilized species are more commonly found in the environment at low temperatures. a common example is the ions present in seawater, which are derived from dissolved salts.