hydrolysis of Salts

What is hydrolysis?

Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which water (\text{H}_2\text{O}) is used to break down a compound, typically by splitting a chemical bond.

What is salt hydrolysis?

Salt hydrolysis is the reaction between a salt and water, which results in the formation of an acid and a base, and often leads to a change in the pH of the solution.

Describe the hydrolysis of a salt formed from a strong acid and a strong base.

Salts formed from a strong acid and a strong base (e.g., NaCl) generally do not hydrolyze significantly in water and produce neutral solutions (pH \approx 7), because both the cation and anion are very weak conjugate species.

Describe the hydrolysis of a salt formed from a weak acid and a strong base.

Salts formed from a weak acid and a strong base (e.g., CH3COONa) hydrolyze to produce basic solutions (pH > 7). The anion derived from the weak acid reacts with water to produce OH^- ions. Example: \text{CH}3\text{COO}^-(\text{aq}) + \text{H}2\text{O}(\text{l}) \rightleftharpoons \text{CH}3\text{COOH}(\text{aq}) + \text{OH}^-(\text{aq})