A salt formed from a strong base and a weak acid will produce a solution that is:

A salt formed from a strong base and a weak acid will produce a solution that is:

• A. Basic
• B. Acidic
• C. Neutral
• D. Amphoteric

Answer: (A)

When a salt is formed from a strong base and a weak acid, the hydrolysis that affects pH comes from the conjugate base of the weak acid. This base, A−, tends to pull a proton from water, producing HA and OH−: A− + H2O ⇌ HA + OH−. The generation of hydroxide ions raises the pH, making the solution basic. The cation from the strong base doesn’t appreciably hydrolyze, so it doesn’t offset this basic tendency. Hence the resulting solution is basic. If the salt came from a weak base and a strong acid, the solution would tend to be acidic; if both components were strong or both weak in the right way, you could get neutral or other behavior, but that doesn’t apply here.

When a salt is formed from a strong base and a weak acid, the hydrolysis that affects pH comes from the conjugate base of the weak acid. This base, A−, tends to pull a proton from water, producing HA and OH−: A− + H2O ⇌ HA + OH−. The generation of hydroxide ions raises the pH, making the solution basic. The cation from the strong base doesn’t appreciably hydrolyze, so it doesn’t offset this basic tendency. Hence the resulting solution is basic. If the salt came from a weak base and a strong acid, the solution would tend to be acidic; if both components were strong or both weak in the right way, you could get neutral or other behavior, but that doesn’t apply here.