When you hear the word "salts" the image that probably appears in your mind is the table salt you put in your food. Well there are millions of many other salts.
Daily, the laboratories make hundreds and thousands of different salts, each with it's own use. Before stepping on how salts are made.... let us first go through, what actually salts are?
In chemistry, salt is a substance produced by the reaction of an acid with a base. Salts are chemical compounds. Salt is an ionic compound that contains a cation (base) and an anion (acid). Most salts are produced through the reactions including acids, metals reactions with acids, alkalis reactions with acids and all reactions that include acid. Acids that are commonly found in laboratories are:
* Carbonic acid: salts made from these acids are called carbonates.
* Hydrochloric acid: salts made from these acids are called chlorides.
* Nitric acid: salts made from these acids are called nitrates.
* Sulfuric acid: salts made from these acids are called sulfates.
* Citric acid: salts made from these acids are called citrates.
All acids contain hydrogen. During the reaction between acid and metal, salt and hydrogen gas is formed. The word equation of the reaction is as followed:
Hydrochloric acid + magnesium (metal)→ magnesium chloride (salt) + hydrogen.
The particles of hydrochloric acid break down to react with the particles of magnesium to form the salt (metal compound) magnesium chloride.
.Similarly, when alkalis react with acid, this reaction is called a neutralization reaction, from which salt and water is formed.
Equation for the reaction is:
Potassium Hydroxide (alkali) + Hydrochloric acid→ Potassium chloride (salt) + water
Uses of Salts:
Different salts are used for different purposes in our daily life, like:
* Sodium Chloride: This is a salt used for flavoring food.
* Calcium Sulfate: This is a salt used for making chalk.
* Magnesium Carbonate: This is a salt used for keeping the hands dry.
* Ammonium Nitrate: This is a salt used as a fertilizer to help crops grow well.
*Pictures taken from google
Good explanation.