Classifying Salt Solutions as Acidic, Basic, or Neutral

Classifying Salt Solutions as Acidic, Basic, or Neutral 

Since salts contain both a cation and an anion, they can form acidic, basic, or neutral solutions when dissolved in water. The pH of the solution depends on the specific cation and anion involved. We examine the four possibilities individually. 

Salts in which neither the cation nor the anion acts as an acid or a base form pH-neutral solutions. A salt in which the cation is the counterion of a strong base and in which the anion is the conjugate base of strong acid form neutral solutions. Some salts in this category include  

Cations are pH-neutral Anions are conjugate bases of strong acids. 

---