What are salts? How are they formed?
Salt and How It Is Formed?
A salt consists of the positive ion (cation) of a base substance and the negative ion (anion) of an acidic substance. For instance, neutralization reactions cause the formation of salts and water. To be more precise, salts are formed when an acidic substance reacts with a basic substance, and the reaction is known as a neutralization reaction. This reaction is used for the neutralization of the spillage of dangerous acidic substances. If we use water to extinguish the fumes when a container containing some extreme acids like sulphuric acid is spilled due to an accident, it won’t help in reducing the acidity. To counteract this, we have to use an alkaline solution with a high pH value so that it would react with the acidic substance and lead to neutralization by the formation of salts and water. E.g.: Nitric acid + potassium hydroxide -> potassium nitrate + water. Here, Nitric acid reacts with basic potassium hydroxide to form the salt potassium nitrate.
– Written by Edutuber Mallu
Salts are products of an acid-base reaction. It is known as a neutralization reaction where an acid and a base react to form salt and water; that is, they have been neutralized to form salt and water.
Acid + Base —–> Salt + Water
Salts are an association of cations and anions.
Salts can be classified as:
acidic salts
basic salts
Acidic Salts:
These salts are formed when a strong acid reacts with a weak base.
For example, HCl is a strong acid and NH4OH is a weak base; the reaction between them will give an acidic salt – NH4Cl
NH4OH + HCl —> NH4Cl + H2O
Basic Salts:
These are formed by the reaction between a strong base and a weak acid.
For example, NaOH is a strong base, and its reaction with CH3COOH (Acetic acid – weak acid) will give a basic salt – CH3COONa
NaOH + CH3COOH —-> CH3COONa + H2O
Salts can also be classified as:
strong salts
weak salts
Strong salts:
Strong salts are strong electrolytes. These form ionic compounds with water. Group 1 and 2 elements generally form strong salts. For example, NaCl, KCl, etc.
Weak Salts:
A weak salt is a weak electrolyte and is generally formed with weak organic acids. These are more volatile than strong salts. For example- sodium acetate
Salts show different properties and characteristics based on their parent sources, i.e., the type of acid and base that reacts to form the salt. Their color, smell, and chemical properties depend on the reactants used.
– Written by Manpreet
