Salt Hydrolysis

most salts dissolve in water to produce neutral

solutions
eg: ammonium chloride

some salts dissolve in water to give an either

acidic or basic solution
eg: salt from strong acid and weak base
salt from weak acid and strong base
salt from strong acid and base
salt from weak acid and base
STRONG ACID & WEAK BASE
 When a salt of strong acid and weak base dissolves in water
it will form an acidic solution
 Example : Ammonium Chloride
 It is formed from hydrochloric acid which is a strong acid
and ammonia which is a weak base
 Ammonium chloride in water dissociates to become
ammonium ions and chloride ions
 Ammonium ions reacts with water-acts as a bronsted lowry
acid aand donates a proton to water-produces h3o- ions
 Whereas chloride ions do not react with water
 This causes the solution to be acidic and is known as
cationic hydrolysis
WEAK ACID & STRONG BASE
 When a salt of weak acid and strong base dissolves in water
it produces an alkaline
 Example : Sodium Carbonate
 Sodium carbonate is formed from carbonic acid which is a
weak acid and sodium hydroxide which is a strong base
 When sodium carbonate in water dissociates to become
sodium ions and carbonate ions.
 The carbonate ions acts as a bronsted lowry base to accept a
proton from water and it produces OH-
 Sodium ions do not react with water
 The production oh ions makes the solution basic.thus it is
known as anionic hydrolysis
 STRONG ACID & STRONG
BASE
 When it dissolves in water it produces a neutral solution
 Example : sodium chloride
 Dissociates in water to produce sodium ions and chloride ions
 Both do not react with water to produce OH ions and H ions
 Hence it is neutral
 WEAK ACID& WEAK BASE

 Example : Ammonium ethanoate

 Formed from aqueous ammonia which is a weak base and
ethanoic acid which is a weak acid
 Dissociates in water to produce ammonium ions and
ethanoate ions
 Ethanoate ions undergoes anionic hydrolysis and ammonium
ions undergoes cationic hydrolysis
 It may be slightly acidic ,slightly basic or maybe even neutral
it all depends on the productions of the oh ions and h+ ions
 The extent of hydrolysis depends on the relative values of the
acid dissociation of the cation,Ka And the base dissociation
constant of the anion, Kb
 SUMMARY
Salt Aqueous solution Type of hydrolysis
Strong acid and Neutral No hydrolysis
strong base
Strong acid and Acidic Cationic hydrolysis
weak base
Weak acid and Basic Anionic hydrolysis
strong base
Weak acid and Acidic if Ka>Kb Cationic hydrolysis
weak base Basic if Ka<Kb Anionic hydrolysis
Neutral if Ka~Kb No hydrolysis