Acidic, basic and neutral salts
A salt can be acidic, basic or neutral. Which it is depends on the strength of the acid and the base that made it.
A strong acid with a strong base
Salts formed from a strong acid and a strong base are neutral. Sodium hydroxide is a strong base and hydrochloric acid a strong acid, so the sodium chloride they make is a neutral salt.
NaOH (aq) + HCl (aq) → NaCl (aq) + H2O (l)
The other combinations
- A strong acid with a weak base gives an acidic salt — ammonium chloride, from hydrochloric acid and ammonia.
- A weak acid with a strong base gives a basic salt — sodium acetate, from acetic acid and sodium hydroxide.