Why can ammonium sulfate be described as a salt?

A salt is an ionic compound which is made up of two groups of oppositely charged ions.
The overall compound of a salt compound must have an overall electrical charge of 0.
Ammonium sulfate, (NH4)2SO4, can be made by the reaction of ammonia, NH3 with sulfuric acid, H2SO4. 
Therefore, ammonium sulfate is described as a salt because the hydrogen ions, H^+, in sulfuric acid have been replaced by ammonium ions, NH4^+
And note: the charge of ammonium sulfate balance - NH4 has a +1 charge and SO4 has a 2- charge, therefore in the compund there are two lots of NH4+ [(NH4)2], to cancel out the 2- charge of the SO4 to equal 0.

CR
Answered by Chloe R. Chemistry tutor

29338 Views

See similar Chemistry GCSE tutors

Related Chemistry GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is the difference between a period and a group in the periodic table


What is hydrocarbon?


In terms of electrons, explain the bonding in sodium chloride


Balance the following equation showing complete combustion of a hydrocarbon: C3H8 + O2 --> CO2 +H2O


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning