Naming salts

A salt is any compound formed by the neutralisation of an acid by a base.

The name of a salt has two parts. The first part comes from the metal, metal oxide or metal carbonate.
The second part comes from the acid.

You can always work out the name of the salt by looking at the reactants:

nitric acid always produces salts that end in nitrate and contain the nitrate ion, NO3-

hydrochloric acid always produces salts that end in chloride and contain the chloride ion, Cl-

sulfuric acid always produces salts that end in sulfate and contain the sulfate ion, SO42-

For example, if potassium oxide reacts with sulfuric acid, the products will be potassium sulfate and
water.

The table shows some more examples:

Metal oxide/hydroxide Acid Salt

Sodium hydroxide reacts with Hydrochloric acid to make Sodium chloride

Copper oxide reacts with Hydrochloric acid to make Copper chloride

Sodium hydroxide reacts with Sulfuric acid to make Sodium sulfate

Zinc oxide reacts with Sulfuric acid to make Zinc sulfate

Note that ammonia forms ammonium salts when it reacts with acids. For instance, ammonia reacts with
hydrochloric acid to make ammonium chloride.

Using Chemical Reactions To Make Salt

Reactions of metal with acid

When metals react with acids, a salt of the metal and hydrogen gas are formed.

This is the general word equation for the reaction:

metal + acid → salt + hydrogen

For example, magnesium reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce magnesium chloride:

magnesium + hydrochloric acid → magnesium chloride + hydrogen

Mg + 2HCl → MgCl2 + H2

Neutralisation

The reaction between an acid and a base is called Neutralisation. This is exactly how indigestion
medicines works – it contain chemicals that react with and neutralise excess stomach acid. Industry uses
this same method to produce a wide range of salts and products.

Word equation for a reaction between an acid and an alkali:

Acid + alkali → salt + water

Hydrochloric acid + sodium hydroxide → sodium chloride + water

Nitric acid + potassium hydroxide → potassium nitrate + water.

Sulphuric acid + sodium hydroxide → sodium sulphate + water.

Making Salts from Metal Oxides

Metal Oxides can also be used as bases and be reacted with acids to make salts and water.

Metal oxide + acid → salt + water

Copper Oxide (CuO) + hydrochloric acid (2HCl) → copper chloride (CuCl2) + water (H20)

While fairly reactive metals can be reacted with acids to form salt and hydrogen, salts of very unreactive
metals, such as copper, cannot be made this way because these metals do not react with acids.

And salts of very reactive metals, such as sodium, cannot be made this way because the reaction
between the metal and the acid is too vigorous to be carried out safely.

Making Salts from Metal Carbonates

Acids can be neutralised by metal carbonates to form salts. Most metal carbonates are insoluble, so they
are bases, but they are not alkalis.
When acids are neutralised by metal carbonates, a salt, water and carbon dioxide are produced. This
means that rocks, such as limestone, that contain carbonate compounds are damaged by acid rain.

Metal carbonate + acid → salt + water + carbon dioxide