Final answer:
A salt can dissolve in water to produce a neutral, a basic, or an acidic solution, depending on the nature of its ions.
Step-by-step explanation:
A salt can dissolve in water to produce a neutral, a basic, or an acidic solution, depending on whether it contains the conjugate base of a weak acid as the anion (A¯), the conjugate acid of a weak base as the cation (BH+), or both. Salts that contain small, highly charged metal ions produce acidic solutions in water. The reaction of a salt with water to produce an acidic or a basic solution is called a hydrolysis reaction.