What are the main steps to create a soluble salt from an acid?

To create a soluble salt from an acid, the process begins with neutralization, where the acid reacts with a base (which could be an alkali like sodium hydroxide) to form a salt and water. This step is crucial as it transforms the acidic solution into a neutral solution containing the desired salt.

After neutralization, the next step is filtration. This is necessary if the reactants produce any excess base that does not dissolve in the solution or if the resulting mixture contains any undissolved solids. The filtration separates the solid impurities from the salt solution, ensuring that the final product is a clear solution of the salt.

The final step is evaporation, where the salt solution is heated to remove water, concentrating the solution and allowing the dissolved salt to crystallize out. As the water evaporates, the solution becomes saturated, leading to the formation of crystals of the salt as it reaches its solubility limit.

This sequence of neutralization, filtration, and evaporation effectively produces the soluble salt and prepares it for collection in crystalline form.