
This episode explains that not all salts are neutral; their pH depends on the origin of their ions. A salt is formed from an acid-base neutralization reaction. When dissolved, ions from weak acids or weak bases can undergo ion hydrolysis—reacting with water to form H3O+ (acidic) or OH- (basic) ions. The pH is predicted by its parent compounds: strong acid/strong base yields neutral; strong acid/weak base yields acidic; and weak acid/strong base yields basic.