Difference Between Neutral and Amphoteric Oxides

The key difference between neutral and amphoteric oxides is that neutral oxides have no acidic or basic nature, whereas amphoteric oxides have both acidic and basic properties.

An oxide is a binary compound that has a chemical element in combination with one or more oxygen atoms. Since oxygen is highly reactive, it can form oxides with both metals and nonmetals. There are 4 major types of oxide compounds as acidic oxides, basic oxides, neutral oxides, and amphoteric oxides, based on their properties and reactions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Neutral Oxides
3. What are Amphoteric Oxides
4. Side by Side Comparison – Neutral vs Amphoteric Oxides in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What are Neutral Oxides?

Neutral oxides are chemical compounds containing a chemical element bonded to one or more oxygen atoms and have no acidic or basic nature. Therefore, since they don’t have acidic and basic properties, they cannot form salts when they react with acids or bases.

Figure 01: Carbon Monoxide is a Neutral Oxide

Considering some examples, nitrogen monoxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are neutral oxides.

What are Amphoteric Oxides?

Amphoteric oxides are oxide compounds having both acidic and basic natures. Therefore, they can react with both acids and bases, forming salt compounds at the end. Moreover, while reacting with an acid, these oxides show basic properties and vice versa. However, both reactions result in a salt and water. Some examples are as follows:

• Zinc oxide (ZnO) as an acid in reaction with NaOH basic compound;

ZnO   +  2NaOH  →  Na₂ZnO₂  +   H₂O

• Zinc oxide as a base in reaction with HCl acidic compound;

ZnO   +  2HCl  →   ZnCl₂  +   H₂O

Figure 02: Zinc Oxide Powder

• Aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) as an acid in reaction with NaOH;

Al₂O₃   +  2NaOH  →  2NaAlO₂  +   H₂O

• Aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) as a base in reaction with H₂SO₄;

Al₂O₃    + 3H₂SO₄     → Al₂(SO₄)₃  +   3H₂O

What is the Difference Between Neutral and Amphoteric Oxides?

Oxides are chemical compounds containing a chemical element (metal or nonmetal) bonded to one or more oxygen atoms. Neutral and amphoteric oxides are two of the four major types of oxide compounds. The key difference between neutral and amphoteric oxides is that neutral oxides have no acidic or basic nature, whereas amphoteric oxides have both acidic and basic properties. Therefore, amphoteric oxides can form salt and water when reacted with either an acid or a base, while neutral oxides can not form salt and water when reacted with acids or bases. So, we can consider this as a further difference between neutral and amphoteric oxides, stemming from the previous difference.

Summary – Neutral vs Amphoteric Oxides

In summary, oxides are chemical compounds containing a chemical element (metal or nonmetal) bonded to one or more oxygen atoms. Concerning their properties, the key difference between neutral and amphoteric oxides is that the neutral oxides are neither acidic nor basic nature, whereas the amphoteric oxides are both acidic and basic.

Reference:

1.“Classification of Oxides – Basic, Acidic, Amphoteric & Neutral Oxides.” BYJUS, Byjus, 25 July 2018, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Zinc oxide powder” By Chemicalinterest – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

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