Making Soluble Salts

Question 1

how are soluble salts made?

Answer 1

by neutralising acids and crystallising the resulting solution:

acid (aq) + base/alkali (aq) -> salt (aq) + water (l)

Question 2

insoluble base method to make salts

Answer 2

1. you can make a soluble salt by reacting an acid that contains one of the ions you want in the salt with an insoluble base that contains the other ion you need (often a metal oxide or metal hydroxide)
2. start by heating the acid in a water bath as this speeds up the reaction between the acid and the insoluble base - do this in a fume cupboard to avoid releasing acid fumes into the room
3. then add the base to the acid; the base and acid will react to produce a soluble salt and water - you will know when the base is in excess and all the acid has been neutralised because the excess solid will just sink to the bottom of the flask
   NOTE: it is important that the base is in excess so that you do not have any leftover acid in your product
4. filter off the excess solid to get a solution containing only the salt and water
5. heat the solution gently using a Bunsen burner, to slowly evaporate off some of the water
6. leave the solution to cool and allow the salt to crystallise - filter off the solid salt and leave it to dry