When a salt that contains the negative ion of a weak acid is dissolved in water, the solution is basic.?

Question

For example, a solution of sodium acetate (the corresponding acid is acetic acid) is basic. Why?

Answer 1

First of all, basic solutions contain more Hydroxide ions OH- than hydronium ions H3O+ (also known as H+)

Any substances that when dissolved (ionized) in water and produces OH- ions are basic: NaOH becoes Na+ and OH-. NaOH is thus basic

We know that only weak bases/acids will produce a salt through neutralization which will affect the pH of the solution. For example, the conjugate acid of NH3 is NH4+. NH4+ can react will H2O to form NH3 and H3O+. Therefor, the solution will be more acidic. So we can conclude that positve charged ion can make the solution more acidic and negatively charged ions will make the solution more basic.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Age 16, that is extremely faulty understanding. metal cations at best can only function as weak acids by way of ligands, but never as bases.

an acetate ion , first of all is the conjugate base of acetic acid. every acid, when ionised, produces a H+ ion and a conjugate base, which is the anion of that acid.

the acetate ion has a specific pKb value associated to it like all bases. it can then TAKE a H+ from water to reform one original acetic acid molecule and one OH- ion which is responsible for the basic pH. the acetate ions will continue taking protons from water and forming OH- until the concentration on acetic acid reaches a peak number.

when this peak is reached the acetic acid starts to ionise again into acetate and an acidic H+. this ionisation and reconversion occurs simultaneously and reaches an equilibrium where there is more OH- than H+ in the solution (since you started out with maximum acetate and zero acetic acid). therefore the solution is basic.

Answer 3

Due to the OH(-) ions

Answer 4

pay attention in class and do your own homework!