🧪 Chemistry · Topic 40 of 97

Making Soluble Salts

Soluble salts are made by reacting an acid with a metal, base or carbonate, then crystallising the solution.

▶ Interact

Play with the controls to see the idea in action.

Loading animation…

📘 Learn

Soluble salts are made by reacting an acid with a metal, base or carbonate, then crystallising the solution.

  • Add excess solid and filter
  • Heat to evaporate part of the water
  • Leave to crystallise

🧠 Quick quiz

Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.

What is Making Soluble Salts?

Within Chemistry, which covers atoms, bonding, reactions, the periodic table, organic chemistry and the chemistry of everyday life, this topic explains Making Soluble Salts. Chemistry links what you can see in the lab to the particles and bonds behind it, so each topic here shows that link in a model.

Check that you can explain Making Soluble Salts in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.

Understanding Making Soluble Salts helps you explain why substances behave as they do, from cleaning products and food to medicines.

Making Soluble Salts in detail

To make a pure, dry sample of a soluble salt from an insoluble base, metal or carbonate, add the solid to warm acid until no more reacts (the excess solid shows the acid has been used up), filter off the excess, heat the filtrate to evaporate some water, leave it to crystallise, then dry the crystals.

If both the acid and base are soluble, as with an alkali, you use a titration to find the exact amounts and then crystallise without excess solid. This method makes salts such as copper sulfate from copper oxide and sulfuric acid, and requires care with heating to avoid spitting.

How the interactive helps you understand Making Soluble Salts

Click a step, or use the Previous and Next buttons, to move through the sequence one stage at a time. Auto-play moves on for you.

Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Making Soluble Salts.

Real-life uses and examples

Common mistakes to avoid

Frequently asked questions about Making Soluble Salts

What is Making Soluble Salts?

Soluble salts are made by reacting an acid with a metal, base or carbonate, then crystallising the solution.

What are the most important points about Making Soluble Salts?

The main points are: Add excess solid and filter; Heat to evaporate part of the water; Leave to crystallise.

Why is Making Soluble Salts useful?

Understanding Making Soluble Salts helps you explain why substances behave as they do, from cleaning products and food to medicines.

How can I practise Making Soluble Salts?

Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.

Which topics are related to Making Soluble Salts?

Related topics in Chemistry include Reactivity Series, Oxidation and Reduction, Electrolysis of Aqueous Solutions.

← PreviousNeutralisationNext →Insoluble Salts and Precipitation

Keep exploring Chemistry