Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why does neutralization between a strong acid and a strong base produce water?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

sodium sulfate — acid–base reaction Sodium sulfate, also called Glauber's salt, is, like other salts, the product of an acid-base reaction.

In an aqueous solution, the neutralization of a strong acid and a strong base produces water because the reaction involves the combination of hydrogen ions (typically existing as hydronium ions, $H_{3} O^{+}$ ) and hydroxide ions ( $O H^{-}$ ).21

The chemical process is represented by the equation:
$H_{3} O^{+} + O H^{-} ⇌ 2 H_{2} O$

According to the Arrhenius theory, acids dissociate in water to yield hydrogen ions, while bases ionize to yield hydroxide ions. When these two substances are mixed, the hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions react to form water molecules. This reaction is a fundamental aspect of acid–base reactions, as the formation of water effectively reduces the concentration of both ions to maintain the equilibrium of the solution.123