What is salt? What do you mean by family of salts? Explain with examples.

It is a chemical substance which consists of cation other than H+ ion and anion other than
OH- ion and is formed when acid reacts with a base.

Salts having common cation or anion are said to belong to the same family.

Chloride family: A group of salts containing common Cl- ion.

eg NaCl, MgCl2, NH4Cl, ZnCl2 etc

Sulphate family: A group of salts containing common SO42- ion

Eg Na2SO4, MgSO4, (NH4)2SO4 etc

Carbonate family: A group of salts containing common CO32- ion.

eg Na2CO3, MgCO3 , (NH4)2CO3 etc

What is meant by the pH of the salt?

The salts may be neutral, acidic or basic depending upon the acid and base from which they
are formed. Therefore, salts have different pH values.

In general:

Salt of a strong acid and strong base is neutral with a pH value of 7.

Salt of a strong acid and weak base is acidic with a pH value less than 7.

Salt of weak acid and strong base is basic with a pH value of more than 7.

What is common salt? How is it obtained and what are its uses?

Common salt is sodium chloride and its chemical formula is NaCl. It is a white crystalline
powder. It is the most abundant salt found in sea water. It is also found as salt rock.
Common salt is obtained from sea water by the process of evaporation. Shallow pits are built
on the seashore. Sea water is trapped in these pits. The heat of the sun causes evaporation
of water and a mixture of salts (crude common salt) is left behind. Common salt is obtained
by further purification.
It is mixed with a chemical called sodium Iodate (NaIO3) which contains iodine. The lack of
iodine in our diet may cause the disease Goiter

Uses of common salt

1. As a table salt it is an important constituent of our food.

2. It is used for the preservation of food (fish, meat and pickles).
3. It is used in the manufacturing of soaps and organic dyes.
4. It is used in melting ice which collects on roads during winter.
5. It is used in leather tanninng and textile industries.
6. It is used in the manufacturing of baking soda, washing soda and bleaching powder.

Caustic Soda (NaOH):

Sodium hydroxide is the crystalline solid and its chemical formula is NaOH. It is commonly
called caustic soda as it causes burns on the skin. It is a strong base and is deliquescent
i.e. when exposed to atmosphere it absorbs moisture and changes into solution.

Sodium hydroxide is prepared by the electrolysis of an aqueous solution of sodium chloride

(which is called brine). This process is called the Chlor-Alkali process.
NaCl (aq) → NaOH + Cl2 + H2

USES:

1. It is used in the manufacturing of soaps, detergents, rayon etc.

2. It is used in the purification of Bauxite (Ore of Al).
3. It is used as a cleansing agent for machines and metal sheets.
4. It is used in the cotton industry for mercerizing (or making unshrinkable cotton fabric).
5. It is used in the preparation of soda Lime (a mixture of sodium hydroxide and calcium
oxide).
6. It is used in the refining of petroleum and vegetable oil.

Bleaching powder:

It is calcium oxychloride and its chemical formula is CaOCl2. It is also called chlor of lime.
It is prepared when Cl2 gas is passed into dry slaked lime.
Ca(OH)2 + Cl2 —-> CaOCl2 +H2O

USES:

1. It is used for bleaching cotton fabrics, linen fabrics and wool pulp.
2. It is used for sterilization of drinking water.
3. It is used in the manufacturing of chloroform.
4. It is used as an oxidizing agent in many chemical reactions.

PLASTER OF PARIS (POP):

It is calcium Sulphate hemihydrate and its chemical composition is CaSO4.1/2 H2O. It is a

white powder and sets on adding water. This is called the setting of POP.
POP is prepared by heating gypsum at 273K (100°C) in a kiln where it gets partially
dehydrated.

CaSO4.2H2O —→ CaSO4.1/2 H2O + H2O

USES:

1. It is used in hospitals for supporting fractured bones.

2. It is used for making toys, decorative materials, statues and blackboard chalk.
3. It is used as fire proofing material.
4. It is used for making surfaces smooth (like walls of houses) before painting them.
5. It is used in the laboratory for sealing the air gaps in apparatus to make it airtight.

POP should be stored in a moisture proof container. Explain why?

It is because POP (white powder) on absorption of water forms a hard solid mass called
gypsum. This will make POP useless and is wasted.

Baking soda:

It is a sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate. Its chemical formula is NaHCO3.

It is a crystalline solid and is stable in air. Its aqueous solution is alkaline in nature.
It is prepared by passing excess carbon-dioxide gas through a cold solution of sodium
chloride saturated with Ammonia.

NaCl + H2O + NH3 + CO2 --> NaHCO3 + NH4Cl

USES:

1. It is used in medicine as an antacid to get rid of acidity of the stomach.

2. It is used in making baking powder.
3. It is used in fire extinguishers.
4. It is used in toothpastes which makes the teeth white and plaque free.
5. It is used as a mild antiseptic for skin diseases.
6. It is used in cleansing of ornaments made of silver.

WASHING SODA:

It is sodium carbonate decahydrate and its chemical formula is NaCO3. 10H2O

It is a white crystalline solid. Upon heating above 737K, it loses all its water molecules and
forms soda ash.

Uses:

1. It is used in the cleaning of clothes.

2. It is used for removing permanent hardness of water.
3. It is used in the manufacturing of glass, soap and water.

What is meant by water crystallization? What are hydrated salts? Explain with an
example.

The fixed number of water molecules which combine chemically with a salt during the
process of its formation and becomes part of the crystal is called water of crystallization and
the salts which contain water of crystallization are called hydrated salts.

copper Sulphate contain 5 molecules of water of crystallization in its one formula unit and
hence its chemical formula is CuSO4.5H2O
Question: Why should curd and sour substances not be kept in brass and copper
vessels?

Answer: Curd and other sour substances react with brass and copper vessels and form
hydrogen and other harmful substances due to presence of acid in them. That’s why curd
and other sour substances should not be kept in brass and copper vessels.

Question: Metal compound A reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to produce

effervescence. The gas evolved extinguishes a burning candle. Write a balanced
chemical equation for the reaction if one of the compounds formed is calcium
chloride.
Answer: CaCO3 + 2HCl ⇨ CaCl2 + CO2 + H2O

Question: Why do HCl, HNO3, etc., show acidic characters in aqueous solutions while
solutions of compounds like alcohol and glucose do not show acidic character?
Answer: HCl, HNO3, etc. form H+ ion or hydronium ions [H3O+] in aqueous solutions while
alcohol and glucose do not dissociate to give hydrogen ion or hydronium ion in the solution
instead they contain hydrogen. Hence, HCl, HNO3, etc. show acidic characters in aqueous
solution while solutions of compounds like alcohol and glucose do not show acidic character.
Question: Why does an aqueous solution of an acid conduct electricity?
Answer: Acid dissociates into ions in aqueous solution. Ions are necessary for conduction of
electricity through a liquid. Due to this, aqueous solution of an acid conducts electricity.
Question: Why does dry HCl gas not change the colour of the dry litmus paper?
Answer: Dry HCl gas does not contain hydronium ions[H3O+]. So, it does not show acidic
behaviour. Hence, it does not change the colour of dry litmus paper.
Question: While diluting an acid, why is it recommended that the acid should be
added to water and not water to the acid?
Answer: When acid is mixed with water it evolves heat. The reaction that takes place in this
process is exothermic. If water is mixed with acid, the mixture becomes warmer. Large
amounts of acid will result in the evolution of more heat. This mixture may splash out and
can result into accident due to burning. Therefore, it is recommended that acid should be
added to water and not the water to acid.
Question: What effect does the concentration of H+(aq) ions have on the nature of the
solution?
Answer: The concentration of H+ (aq) ions determines the acidic nature of solution. Hence,
acidity of a solution increases with increase in concentration of H+ (aq) ions and vice versa.
Question: Do basic solutions also have H+(aq) ions? If yes, then why are these basic?
Answer: Yes basic solutions also have H+(aq) ions. They are basic because the
concentration of hydroxide (OH-) is more than that of H+(aq) ions.
Question: Under what soil condition do you think a farmer would treat the soil of his
fields with quick lime (calcium oxide) or slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or chalk
(calcium carbonate)?
Answer: If the soil is acidic then it should be treated with quick lime or slaked lime to
neutralize it so that soil can be made suitable for cultivation.
Question: What is the common name of the compound CaOCl2?
Answer: Common name of CaOCl2is bleaching powder.
Question: Name the substance which on treatment with chlorine yields bleaching
powder.
Answer: Calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] yields bleaching powder when treated with chlorine.
Question: Name the sodium compound which is used for softening hard water.
Answer: Sodium carbonate (Washing soda) is used for softening the hard water.