Chemistry › Section N · Acid-base equilibria › Topic N.4
Hydrolysis of salts
Dissolve table salt and the water stays neutral, but sodium acetate makes it basic and ammonium chloride makes it acidic. Each ion in a salt can be a weak acid, a weak base or a bystander, and knowing which lets you predict, and calculate, the pH.
In this topic
- Not every salt is neutral
- Judging the cation
- Judging the anion
- Hydrated metal ions as acids
- Worked example: a basic salt
- Worked example: an acidic salt
- When both ions react
- Amphiprotic anions
- A routine for any salt
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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