Different reactions produce different results. Reactions between strong acids and strong bases decompose more completely into hydrogen ions (protons, positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions) in water. For a weak acid and a weak base, neutralization is more appropriately considered to involve direct proton transfer from the acid to the base. If one of the reactants is present in great excess, the reaction can produce a salt (or its solution), which can be acidic, basic, or neutral depending on the strength of the acids and bases reacting with one another.