Concept preview

What you will be able to do

1. 01Predict whether a salt is acidic, basic or neutral
2. 02Write the hydrolysis equation for a salt ion
3. 03Calculate the pH of a salt solution using Kb or Ka

It is tempting to assume that dissolving a salt always gives a neutral solution, but that is often wrong. When a salt dissolves, its ions separate, and an ion that is the conjugate of a weak acid or weak base can react with water — a process called hydrolysis — to produce extra $\mathrm{H_3O^+}$ or $\mathrm{OH^-}$. Whether a salt solution ends up acidic, basic or neutral depends entirely on the parent acid and base from which the salt was formed.