Introduction
A salt is an ionic compound formed when the hydrogen of an acid is partly or completely replaced by a metal ion or ammonium ion. All salts are chemically and electrically neutral.
Example:
Diagram above shows that when the hydrogen ion in nitric acid is replaced by Na+, Ca2+, NH4+ or Al3+ ions, salts are formed.
Other examples:
Barium nitrate, zinc sulphate and tin nitrate are salts
There are 4 types of salt, these are:
- Nitrate
- Chloride
- Sulphate
- Carbonate
Classification of Salt
Salts are classified into four different types:
- Normal salts
- Double salts
- Mixed salts
- Complex salts
Normal Salts: Salts which produce one simple cation and one simple anion in aqueous solution are called normal salts.
The ions present in simple salt can be tested easily. Based on the nature of ions produced they are further classified into:
- Neutral salts
- Acidic salts
- Basic salts
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