What happens when you mix an acid and a base? Why does the reaction produce salt and water?
My teacher said neutralisation gives salt and water. But what IS a salt in chemistry? And why does mixing HCl and NaOH produce NaCl specifically?
1 Answer
VCVarun Choudhary
✓ Accepted
· 15d ago
▲ 8
A salt is any ionic compound formed when the hydrogen in an acid is replaced by a metal. HCl + NaOH: The H+ from HCl and the OH- from NaOH combine to form H2O. The remaining ions Na+ and Cl- combine to form NaCl (table salt). The heat released (exothermic) is called the heat of neutralisation. Different acid-base combinations give different salts: H2SO4 + NaOH gives Na2SO4 (sodium sulphate), HNO3 + NaOH gives NaNO3 (sodium nitrate). The salt takes the metal from the base and the acid radical from the acid.
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