naming salts

• Salt


  A compound formed by neutralisation of an acid by a base, e.g. a metal oxide, as the result of hydrogen ions in the acid being replaced by metal ions or other positive ions. Sodium chloride, common salt, is one such compound.
• Compound


  A substance formed by the chemical union of two or more elements.
• Neutralisation


  The reaction between an acid and a base to form a salt plus water.
• Acid


  Corrosive substance which has a pH lower than 7. Acidity is caused by a high concentration of hydrogen ions.
• Base


  A substance that reacts with an acid to neutralise it and produce a salt.
• Naming salts


  1. The name of a salt has two parts

  2. The first part comes from the metal, metal oxide or metal carbonate

  3. The second part comes from the acid
• You can always work out the name of the salt by looking at the reactants
• Salts from different acids

  • 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, SO4^2-
• Reactions to form salts


  • Potassium oxide reacts with sulfuric acid to make potassium sulfate
  • Sodium hydroxide reacts with hydrochloric acid to make sodium chloride
  • Copper(II) oxide reacts with hydrochloric acid to make copper(II) chloride
  • Sodium hydroxide reacts with sulfuric acid to make sodium sulfate
  • Zinc oxide reacts with sulfuric acid to make zinc sulfate
  • Sodium hydroxide reacts with nitric acid to make sodium nitrate
  • Copper(II) carbonate reacts with nitric acid to make copper(II) nitrate
• Ammonia forms ammonium salts when it reacts with acids, e.g. ammonia reacts with hydrochloric acid to make ammonium chloride