SPM Chemistry

Understanding salts

  1. A salt is an ionic compound formed when the hydrogen of an acid is partly or completely replaced by a metal ion or ammonium ion.
  2. All salts are chemically and electrically neutral.

Example

Diagram above shows that when the hydrogen ion in nitric acid is replaced by Na+, Ca2+, NH4+ or Al3+ ions, salts are formed.

Example:

State whether the following chemical are salt or not salt..
  1. barium nitrate _______
  2. zinc sulphate _______
  3. aluminium oxide _______
  4. carbon dioxide _______
  5. tin nitrate _______
  6. glucose _______
  7. ethanol _______

Answer:
Barium nitrate, zinc sulphate and tin nitrate are salts.
Aluminium oxide, carbon dioxide, glucose and ethanol are not salts.

There are 4 types of salt that you need to know in the SPM syllabus:
Four type of Salt, there are:

  1. Nitrate,
  2. Chloride,
  3. Sulphate,
  4. Carbonate,