Salts — the neutralisation products

4 minAS Level7.2.8

AI-drafted, independently checked · not yet teacher-reviewed

By the end of this lesson

By the end you can name salts from acid–base reactions, write equations for their formation, and predict whether a salt solution is acidic, basic, or neutral based on the parent acid and base strengths.

What is a salt?

A salt is an ionic compound formed when the H⁺ of an acid is replaced by a metal ion (or NH₄⁺).

General pattern: $\text{Acid} + \text{Base} \rightarrow \text{Salt} + \text{Water}$ (or + CO₂ if carbonate, + H₂ if metal)

The cation comes from the base (metal or NH₄⁺). The anion comes from the acid.

Worked example: Naming salts

Name the salts formed from:

HCl + NaOH
H₂SO₄ + KOH
CH₃COOH + Na₂CO₃
HNO₃ + NH₃

Have a go first?

Name the salt

Multiple choiceQuestion 1 · Recall

What is the name of the salt formed when H₂SO₄ reacts with NaOH?

ASodium sulfideBSodium sulfateCSodium hydrogen sulfateDSodium sulfite

Multiple choiceQuestion 2 · Apply

What is the formula of the salt formed from CH₃COOH and NH₃?

ACH₃COONH₄BNH₄CH₃COOCCH₃COONH₃D(CH₃COO)₂NH₄

Answer the 2 questions above to continue.

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