Hydronium is present whenever an acid is dissolved in water; the hydrogen ions released by the acid do not exist in a free state. Water will also spontaneously dissociate into hydronium and hydroxide ions, in the following reaction:
Since the reaction releases an OH - ion, this ion's alkalinity balances hydronium's acidity, and water remains neutral (a hydronium ion concentration of 1 x 10-7.0 at 298 K).