Question

How are basic salts formed?

Short answer

Answer: A basic salt is a chemical compound formed by the partial neutralization of a base by an acid, resulting in a salt that still contains some unreacted base. This makes it slightly basic in aqueous solutions. It forms through an acid-base reaction, where an acid donates a proton (H+) to a base, which accepts it. When the reaction is incomplete, a basic salt is produced, consisting of a cation from the acid and an anion from the base.

Step-by-step solution

1. Definition of Basic Salts

Basic salts are chemical compounds formed by the partial neutralization of a base by an acid. In other words, a basic salt is formed when a base reacts with an acid, but the reaction is not complete. As a result, basic salts still contain some unreacted base, making them slightly basic in aqueous solutions.

2. Formation of Basic Salts

Basic salts are formed through a type of chemical reaction called an acid-base reaction. In an acid-base reaction, an acid donates a proton (H+) to a base, which accepts it. When a base reacts with an acid incompletely, meaning not all the base molecules have accepted protons, a basic salt is produced. The resulting basic salt will have a positive ion (cation) from the acid and a negative ion (anion) from the base.

3. General equation for formation of basic salts

The general equation to represent the formation of a basic salt is: $$ AB + HX \rightarrow AH + BX $$ Here, AB represents the base, HX represents the acid, AH represents the basic salt, and BX represents the byproduct of the reaction.

4. Example of Basic Salt Formation

Let us consider the formation of a basic salt through the reaction of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with hydrochloric acid (HCl): $$ NaOH + HCl \rightarrow NaCl + H_2O $$ In this reaction, sodium hydroxide (a base) reacts with hydrochloric acid (an acid) to form sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H2O). Sodium chloride is a neutral salt, not a basic salt. However, if the reaction is incomplete and some sodium hydroxide remains unreacted, the resulting salt will be a basic salt. One example of a basic salt that could be formed in this situation is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3): $$ 2NaOH + H_2CO_3 \rightarrow Na_2CO_3 + 2H_2O $$ Here, sodium hydroxide reacts with carbonic acid (H2CO3) to form sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and water. Note that in certain cases, the term "basic salt" is also used to refer to salts that can hydrolyze in water to produce a basic solution, such as sodium carbonate in the example above: $$ Na_2CO_3 + H_2O \rightarrow 2 NaOH + H_2CO_3 $$ In this case, sodium carbonate dissociates in water to produce a small amount of sodium hydroxide and carbonic acid, generating a basic solution.