Hydrolysis of Salts

Some normal salts dissolve in water while others do not, except in warm or hot water. Among the soluble salts, we have those which, when dissolved, hydrolyze, i.e. split in water, and the resultant solution behaves like either an acidic or basic solution

What is Hydrolysis?

Hydrolysis is the reaction between salt and water to form a solution which is either acidic or basic.

Salts that undergo hydrolysis are salts derived from weak acids, weak bases or both.

Classes of Normal Salts:

On the basis of hydrolysis, there are four classes of normal salts.

1. Salts formed from Weak Acids and Strong Bases (Basic Salts):

Salts formed from the reaction between a weak acid and a strong base are basic salts . These salts hydrolyse in water to give alkaline solutions . Their solutions turn red litmus paper blue , and the pH is greater than 7 .

Examples are:

Na₂CO₃,