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In general, when an acid and a base are mixed, what happens?

1) a new acid and salt are formed
2) a new base and salt are formed
3) no reaction occurs
4) water and salt are formed

User Wot
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

In general, when an acid and a base are mixed, 4) water and salt are formed.

Step-by-step explanation:

When an acid and a base are mixed together, they undergo a neutralization reaction. This type of chemical reaction typically results in the formation of water and a salt, which is an ionic compound. A commonly cited example of this is the reaction between hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), resulting in sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H₂O):

HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H₂O(l)

This demonstrates the general pattern for an acid-base reaction, which can be simplified to:

acid + base → water + salt

The salt produced can have varying properties in solution, potentially resulting in a neutral, basic, or acidic solution depending on the specific ions present.

Hence, the correct answer is Option 4.

User SharkofMirkwood
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