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Chapter 14: Problem 5

Explain why salts can be acidic, basic, or neutral, and show examples. Do this without specific numbers

Short Answer

Expert verified
Salts can be acidic, basic, or neutral depending on the properties of the cation and anion they consist of, as they are derived from the reactions between acids and bases. Acidic salts, such as ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), are formed when a strong acid reacts with a weak base, and they increase the concentration of H+ ions in a solution, lowering the pH. Basic salts, like sodium acetate (CH3COONa), are formed when a weak acid reacts with a strong base and decrease the concentration of H+ ions in the solution, raising the pH. Neutral salts, like sodium chloride (NaCl), result from the reaction between a strong acid and a strong base, and their cations and anions have no significant effect on the H+ or OH- concentrations, leading to a neutral solution with a pH close to 7.

Step by step solution

01

Introduction to Salts

Salts are ionic compounds formed when an acid reacts with a base. They consist of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions. The properties of the cation and anion in the salt determine whether the salt will be acidic, basic, or neutral.
02

Acidic Salts

Acidic salts are formed when a strong acid reacts with a weak base. In this case, the cation from the strong acid tends to donate a proton (H+) in solution, while the anion from the weak base accepts the proton poorly, resulting in a net increase in the concentration of H+ ions in the solution. This causes the solution to become acidic, with a pH less than 7. Example: Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) is an example of an acidic salt. It is formed from the reaction between hydrochloric acid (a strong acid) and ammonia (a weak base). In water, the ammonium ion (NH4+) can donate a proton to water molecules, forming hydronium ions (H3O+), which lowers the pH of the solution.
03

Basic Salts

Basic salts are formed when a weak acid reacts with a strong base. In this case, the anion from the weak acid tends to accept a proton (H+) in solution, while the cation from the strong base donates the proton poorly, resulting in a net decrease in the concentration of H+ ions in the solution. This causes the solution to become basic, with a pH greater than 7. Example: Sodium acetate (CH3COONa) is an example of a basic salt. It is formed from the reaction between acetic acid (a weak acid) and sodium hydroxide (a strong base). When dissolved in water, the acetate ion (CH3COO-) can accept a proton from water molecules, forming the weak acid acetic acid, and leaving behind hydroxide ions (OH-), which raises the pH of the solution.
04

Neutral Salts

Neutral salts are formed when a strong acid reacts with a strong base. In this case, cations from the strong acid react with anions from the strong base to form a salt, but neither the cation nor the anion has a significant effect on the acidity or basicity of the solution. As a result, the salt becomes neutral, with a pH of approximately 7. Example: Sodium chloride (NaCl), commonly known as table salt, is an example of a neutral salt. It is formed from the reaction between hydrochloric acid (a strong acid) and sodium hydroxide (a strong base). When dissolved in water, neither the sodium ions (Na+) nor the chloride ions (Cl-) have a significant effect on the H+ or OH- concentrations, resulting in a neutral solution with a pH close to 7.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Write the reaction and the corresponding \(K_{\mathrm{b}}\) equilibrium expression for each of the following substances acting as bases in water. a. aniline, \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{NH}_{2}\) b. dimethylamine, \(\left(\mathrm{CH}_{3}\right)_{2} \mathrm{NH}\)

Consider 1000 . mL of a \(1.00 \times 10^{-4}-M\) solution of a certain acid HA that has a $K_{\text { a value equal to } 1.00 \times 10^{-4} . \text { How much }}$ water was added or removed (by evaporation) so that a solution remains in which 25.0\(\%\) of \(\mathrm{HA}\) is dissociated at equilibrium? Assume that HA is nonvolatile.

Quinine $\left(\mathrm{C}_{20} \mathrm{H}_{24} \mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{2}\right)$ is the most important alkaloid derived from cinchona bark. It is used as an antimalarial drug. For quinine, $\mathrm{p} K_{\mathrm{b}_{1}}=5.1\( and \)\mathrm{p} K_{\mathrm{b}_{2}}=9.7\left(\mathrm{p} K_{\mathrm{b}}=-\log K_{\mathrm{b}}\right) .$ Only 1 g quinine will dissolve in 1900.0 \(\mathrm{mL}\) of solution. Calculate the pH of a saturated aqueous solution of quinine. Consider only the reaction $\mathrm{Q}+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O} \rightleftharpoons \mathrm{QH}^{+}+\mathrm{OH}^{-}$ described by \(\mathrm{p} K_{\mathrm{b}_{1}},\) where \(\mathrm{Q}=\) quinine.

What are the major species present in 0.015\(M\) solutions of each of the following bases? a. \(\mathrm{KOH}\) b. \(\mathrm{Ba}(\mathrm{OH})_{2}\) What is \(\left[\mathrm{OH}^{-}\right]\) and the pH of each of these solutions?

Place the species in each of the following groups in order of increasing acid strength. a. $\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}, \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{S}, \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{Se}\( (bond energies: \)\mathrm{H}-\mathrm{O}, 467 \mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol}$ $\mathrm{H}-\mathrm{S}, 363 \mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol} ; \mathrm{H}-\mathrm{Se}, 276 \mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol} )$ b. $\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{H}, \mathrm{FCH}_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{H}, \mathrm{F}_{2} \mathrm{CHCO}_{2} \mathrm{H}, \mathrm{F}_{3} \mathrm{CCO}_{2} \mathrm{H}$ c. \(\mathrm{NH}_{4}^{+}, \mathrm{HONH}_{3}^{+}\) d. \(\mathrm{NH}_{4}^{+}, \mathrm{PH}_{4}^{+}\) (bond energies: $\mathrm{N}-\mathrm{H}, 391 \mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol} ; \mathrm{P}-\mathrm{H},$ 322 \(\mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol} )\) Give reasons for the orders you chose.
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