New
New
Year 10
Edexcel
Higher

Describing salts

I can describe salts and work out their empirical chemical formulae from diagrams, as well as give ionic descriptions of acids and alkalis.

New
New
Year 10
Edexcel
Higher

Describing salts

I can describe salts and work out their empirical chemical formulae from diagrams, as well as give ionic descriptions of acids and alkalis.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A salt is formed when an acid neutralises a base.
  2. Salts are giant, 3D ionic structures that form crystals with regular arrangements of ions.
  3. The empirical chemical formula of a salt provides the ratio of metal to non-metal ions it contains.
  4. Acids contain aqueous hydrogen ions, H⁺(aq) and alkalis contain aqueous hydroxide ions, OH⁻(aq).
  5. During a neutralisation reaction: H⁺(aq) + OH⁻(aq) → H₂O(l).

Common misconception

Pupils regularly think that neutralisation produces a neutral (i.e. pH 7) solution.

Stress that neutralisation occurs from a complete reaction between an acid and base, which usually occurs between strong acids and strong bases. If a weak acid or weak base is used, the salt solution produced may be alkaline or acidic respectively.

Keywords

  • Salt - An ionic compound formed from positive and negative ions electrostatically attracted to each other.

  • Empirical formula - Shows the simplest whole number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.

  • Acid - A solution that has a pH of less than 7.

  • Base - Reacts with an acid to form a salt.

  • Neutralisation - A chemical reaction between an acid and base, producing a solution of a metal salt and water.

Create (~4-6) sample groups consisting of a base, acid and relevant salt. Each sample is labelled with the chemical formula only. Pupils identify the base, acid and salt in each sample group (i.e. in a table). Challenge pupils to justify their classification; extend pupils to identify any trends.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the name of the acid to its correct chemical formula.
Correct Answer:Hydrochloric acid,HCl

HCl

Correct Answer:Sulfuric acid,H₂SO₄

H₂SO₄

Correct Answer:Nitric acid,HNO₃

HNO₃

Q2.
Pair each of the following terms with one of the statements
Correct Answer:Acidic,pH 6

pH 6

Correct Answer:Basic,pH 8

pH 8

Correct Answer:Alkali,a soluble base

a soluble base

Correct Answer:Corrosive,cause chemical burns to skin

cause chemical burns to skin

Q3.
What is the definition of an acid?
Correct answer: A solution that has a pH of less than 7.
A solution that has a pH of more than 7.
A solution that is neutral.
Q4.
What happens during neutralisation?
A base reacts with another base to form a new element.
Correct answer: An acid reacts with a base to form a salt and water.
An acid reacts with an acid to form a gas.
Q5.
Which ion is common in alkaline solutions?
Hydrogen ion (H⁺)
Correct answer: Hydroxide ion (OH⁻)
Sodium ion (Na⁺)
Q6.
Which ion is common in acidic solutions?
Correct answer: Hydrogen ion (H⁺)
Hydroxide ion (OH⁻)
Sodium ion (Na⁺)

6 Questions

Q1.
What happens during a neutralisation reaction?
A base reacts with a base to form a salt.
Correct answer: An acid reacts with a base to form a salt and water.
An acid reacts with an acid to form a salt.
Q2.
What is a base?
A substance that forms a gas when it reacts.
A substance that has a pH less than 7.
Correct answer: A substance that reacts with an acid to form a salt.
Q3.
When can salts conduct electricity?
Only when in powder form.
Only when solid.
Correct answer: When dissolved in water or molten.
Q4.
Which of the following best describes the structure of a salt?
Correct answer: A giant, 3D ionic lattice.
A metallic lattice.
A simple molecular structure.
Q5.
What is the significance of the empirical formula of a salt?
It indicates the colour of the salt.
Correct answer: It provides the ratio of metal to non-metal ions.
It shows how the ions are arranged in the lattice.
Q6.
What happens to the ions in a salt when it dissolves in water?
The ions form a gas.
The ions react with water to form a new compound.
Correct answer: The ions separate and disperse throughout the solution.