Naming Salts
- The name of a salt has two parts
- The first part comes from the metal, metal oxide or metal carbonate used in the reaction
- The second part comes from the acid
- Hydrochloric acid always produces salts that end in chloride and contain the chloride ion, Cl–
- Sulfuric acid always produces salts that end in chloride and contain the sulfate ion, SO42–
- Nitric acid always produces salts that end in chloride and contain the nitrate ion, NO3–
Naming Salts Examples
| Acid | Base | Name of Salt | Formula of Salt |
| Sulfuric acid, H2SO4 | Calcium carbonate, CaCO3 | Calcium sulfate | CaSO4 |
| Hydrochloric acid, HCl | Magnesium oxide, MgO | Magnesium chloride | MgCl2 |
| Nitric acid, HNO3 | Potassium hydroxide, KOH | Potassium nitrate | KNO3 |
Worked example
Write the balanced symbol equation for the reaction between nitric acid and calcium hydroxide.
Answer
Step 1: Write the formula of the reactants
- Nitric acid = HNO3
- Calcium hydroxide = Ca(OH)2
Step 2: Write the formula of the products of the reaction
- Calcium nitrate = Ca(NO3)2
- Water = H2O
Step 3: Write the symbol equation and balance
- HNO3 + Ca(OH)2 → Ca(NO3)2 + H2O
- There are two nitrate ions on the right hand side so a 2 must be placed in front of the HNO3
- 2HNO3 + Ca(OH)2 → Ca(NO3)2 + H2O
- There are now 4 hydrogen atoms on the left hand side so a 2 should be placed in front of the H2O
- 2HNO3 + Ca(OH)2 → Ca(NO3)2 + 2H2O
