Are acids salts?

Question

What is the difference between an acid and a salt? I know that aqueous hydrogen is an acid and aqueous salt has many X+ or X++ in solution. Is acid not a salt because it is made of the same elements as the solution (H+ and OH-)? Gah! This never was my better point in chemistry.

I found out the salts are the result of an acid/base neutralization - so...

HCl (acid) + NaOH (base) -> Na+-Cl (salt) + HOH

Ha! but you already had that down. :-)

Answer 1

Salts form when acids bases are combined. A salt can be acidic, alkaline, or neutral.

Rules of thumb are as follows:

1. The salt of a strong acid mixed with a strong base is neutral. Example:

NaCl is formed when hydrochloric acid (strong acid) reacts with NaOH (strong base). It is neutral.

2. The salt of a weak acid and a strong base is is a weak base. Example:

Sodium Acetate is formed when Acetic Acid (a weak acid) reacts with NaOH (strong base).

Sodium acetate a weak base because the acetate ion reacts to some extent with water yielding molecular acetic acid and hydroxide ions:

Acetate- + H2O <=> HAcetate + OH-

(HAcetate is acetic acid)

3. The salt of a weak base and a strong acid is a weak acid:

Example:

NH3 (weak base) reacts with hydrochloric acid (strong acid) to yield NH4Cl.

NH4Cl is a weak acid because the NH4+ ion reacts to some extent with water to yield H3O+ and molecular NH3.

NH4+ + H2O <=> NH3 + H3O+

If we react a weak acid with a weak base the pH of the resulting salt wil depend on which was stronger. If the acid was stronger the resulting salt will be acidic; if the base was stronger the resulting salt will be basic.

The Bronsted Lowry concept is very important to predict what will be acidic and what will be basic. You can study it at the source given below.

Answer 2

A salt may be the combination of a metal and a halide (eg NaCl or MgCl2, etc.). An acid is a compound that in aqueous form dissociates into Hydrogen ions and "the-rest-of-the-thingy" eg H+Cl-, H+H+SO4--, etc. Aqueous hydrogen is _not_ an acid - aqueous hydrogen ions are merely the 'symptom' of an acid (if you want to think of it that way). Acids lose H+; bases lose OH- (or suck 'H+'s out of solution in some other way). Lots of extra H+ = acid; very little H+ = base.

Answer 3

In the pH scale, acids are more towards pH1,
Salts are pH 6, 7, or 8, mostly 7(neutral)
Bases are towards pH13

When mixed, bases and acids form salts,
for example:
ACIDS
" .....Martin Lowry, who independently defined an acid as a compound which donates a hydrogen ion (H^+) "( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid ) ...............have a sour taste
BASES
".....An alkali is a special example of a base, where in an aqueous environment, hydroxide ions(also viewed as OH^-) are donated.[" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_(chemistry) ........................................................have bitter taste

SALTS
Salts are formed as a result of a reaction between acids and bases.
Base + Acid = Salt + Water
NaOH + HCl = NaCl + H2O

Answer 4

no, a salt is formed when acids and bases combine.