Question

Write three properties of salts.

Answer 1

Salts:

• Salts are those ionic compounds that dissociate in water to give a positive ion other than the ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ ion and a negative ion other than the ${\mathrm{OH}}^{-}$ ion.
• Salt can also be defined as a compound that is formed by the partial or the total replacement of the Hydrogen ion of an acid by a metallic ion or the Ammonium ion.

Example: Sodium chloride $\left(\mathrm{NaCl}\right)$ is a normal salt formed by the complete neutralization of hydrochloric acid by sodium hydroxide.

$\underset{(\mathrm{Hydrochloric}\mathrm{acid})}{\mathrm{HCl}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}+\underset{(\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{hydroxide})}{\mathrm{NaOH}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}\to \underset{(\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{chloride})}{\mathrm{NaCl}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}+\underset{\left(\mathrm{Water}\right)}{{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)}$.

Properties of salt:

• As they are ionic compounds, they conduct electricity in molten as well as the aqueous state.
• They are hard, brittle, crystalline solids and are non-volatile in nature.
• Most of the salts are water-soluble. For example, All salts of Sodium, Potassium, and Ammonium are water-soluble.
• Some of them are water-insoluble also. For example Carbonates, Sulphides, Sulphites, and Phosphates are water-insoluble. (Except for Ammonium, Sodium, and Potassium)