Consider the following statements: 1. Potassium carbonate is a salt of a weak acid and a weak base. 2. Ammonium nitrate is a salt of a strong acid and a weak base. 3. Ammonium acetate is a salt of a weak acid and a weak base. Which of the statements given above are correct?

The nature of a salt depends on the strength of the parent acid and base. Statement 1 is incorrect because potassium carbonate (K2CO3) is a salt of a strong base, potassium hydroxide (KOH), and a weak acid, carbonic acid (H2CO3). Statement 2 is correct; ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is formed from the reaction of nitric acid (a strong acid) and ammonia (a weak base). Statement 3 is also correct; ammonium acetate (CH3COONH4) is a salt derived from acetic acid (a weak acid) and ammonia (a weak base). While salts of strong acids and strong bases are neutral, the pH of salts from weak acids and weak bases depends on the relative ionization constants of the constituents [1]. Therefore, only statements 2 and 3 are accurate descriptions of the salt compositions.

Sources

1. [1] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Acids, Bases and Salts > Activity 2.14 > p. 29