The Acidic Environment > 4. Acid/Base Definitions >
Identify a range of salts which form acidic, basic or neutral solutions and explain their acidic, neutral or basic nature
- Acidic salts: Salts that dissolve in water to form solutions with a pH less than 7.
- Acidic salts formed form the reaction between a strong acid and a weak base.
- Ammonium chloride is an example of an acidic salt, and can be formed by the reaction between hydrochloric acid (a strong acid) and ammonia (a weak base):
- Acidic salts contain an ion that is a weak acid, which can hydrolyse to produce hydronium ions and lower the pH of the water, such as in the case of the ammonium ion in ammonium chloride:
- Basic salts: Salts that dissolve in water to form solutions with a pH greater than 7.
- Basic salts formed from a reaction between a strong base and a weak acid.
- Sodium acetate is an example of a basic salt, and can be formed by the reaction between acetic acid (a weak acid) and sodium hydroxide (a strong base):
- Basic salts contain an ion that is a weak base, which can hydrolyse to produce hydroxide ions and thus raise the pH of the water, such as in the case of the acetate ion in sodium acetate:
- Neutral salts: Salts that dissolve in water to form solutions that have a pH close to 7.
- Some neutral salts are formed from the neutralisation of a strong acid and a strong base, while a smaller amount are formed from the neutralisation of a weak acid and a weak base.
- Sodium chloride is an example of a neutral salt, and can be formed by the reaction between hydrochloric acid (a strong acid) and sodium hydroxide (a strong base):
- A neutral salt does not further react with water.