Editing Hydrolysis (section)

===Salts===
A common kind of hydrolysis occurs when a [[salt (chemistry)|salt]] of a [[weak acid]] or [[weak base]] (or both) is dissolved in water. [[Self-ionization of water|Water spontaneously ionizes]] into [[Hydroxide|hydroxide anions]] and [[Hydronium|hydronium cations]]. The salt also dissociates into its constituent anions and cations. For example, [[sodium acetate]] dissociates in water into [[sodium]] and [[acetate]] ions. Sodium ions react very little with the hydroxide ions whereas the acetate ions combine with hydronium ions to produce [[acetic acid]]. In this case the net result is a relative excess of hydroxide ions, yielding a basic [[Solution (chemistry)|solution]].

[[Strong acids]] also undergo hydrolysis. For example, dissolving [[sulfuric acid]] ({{chem2|H2SO4}}) in water is accompanied by hydrolysis to give [[hydronium]] and [[bisulfate]], the sulfuric acid's [[conjugate acid|conjugate base]]. For a more technical discussion of what occurs during such a hydrolysis, see [[Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory]].