Not always ammonium salts of weak acids form neutral solutions.
When formic acid reacts with ammonia, ammonium formate is produced:
HCO2H + NH3 ----> NH4HCO2
You already know that the weak conjugate bases of NH3 and HCO2H are NH4+ and HCO2, respectively.
How can the pH of the solution be calculated if the salt's anion causes the pH to rise and the salt's cation causes it to fall? The relative intensities of the basic anion and the acidic cation hold the key to the solution.
As was already established, formate is a weak base and will create hydroxide ions in water, whereas ammonium is a weak acid and will make hydronium ions in water.
NH4⁺ + H2O -----> NH3 + H3O⁺
HCO2⁻ + H2O -----> HCO2H + OH⁻
Since the acid ionization of NH4+ is more favored than the base ionization of HCO2-, the solution will be acidic.
To learn more about ammonium salts:
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The five basic types of chemical reactions are combination, decomposition, single
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