ACIDS , BASES AND SALTS

ACID
It is a substance which when dissolved in water produces hydrogen ions.
OR
An acis is a proton donor or hydrogen ion (H+) donor.

EXAMPLES OF ACIDS
NAME FORMULA IONS THEY PRODUCE IN WATER
Sulphuric acid H2SO4 H+ and SO42-
Hydrochloric acid HCl H+ and Cl-
Nitric acid HNO3 H+ and NO3-
+
Phosphoric acid H3PO4 H and PO4
Ethanoic acid (acetic) CH3COOH H+ and CH3COO-
Citric acid
Tartaric acid

*All solutions of acids contain hydrogen ions (proton).

STRONG AND WEAK ACIDS
Strong acid: it is an acid that completely dissociates in to its ions when it is dissolved in water,
i.e it undergoes complete ionization. This results in many hydrogen ions in the solution.
E.g HClaq H+aq + Cl-aq
Examples of strong acids
Sulphuric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Nitric axcid
Phosphoric acid

Weak acid: It is an acid that does not completely dissociate in to its ions when it is dissolved in
water, i.e it undergoes partial ionization. This results in few hydrogen ions in the solution.

E.g CH3COOHaq H+aq + CH3COO-aq

Examples of weak acids

Ethanoic (acetic) acid

Citric acid
Tartaric acid
Carbonic acid
Lactic acid
Ascorbic acid

Properties of acids

1. Taste
-acids have a sour taste

2. Effect on Indicators

Indicator Colour of indicator Colour of indicator in an acid

Universal indicator paper Green Red
Blue litmus paper Blue Red
Methyl orange Orange Red/pink

3. Reaction with metals

Acid + Metal Salt + Hydrogen gas

E.g. Mg + HCl MgCl2 + H2

Observations
-Effervescence takes place
-the metal dissolves
-a colourless solution is left behind
-The test tube get hot

Test for Hydrogen gas

Test- a burning splint is brought near the mouth of the test tube containing the gas
Result- Hydrogen gas burns with a pop sound ( small explosion).

4. Reaction with Carbonates

Acid + Metal carbonate Salt + Water + Carbondioxide

E.g. Na2CO3 + HCl NaCl + H2O + CO2

Observations
- effervescence takes place
-the carbobate powder dissolves
-a colourless solution is formed
Test for Carbon dioxide gas
Test – bubble the gas in lime water or aqueous calcium hydroxide
Result – lime water turns milky, or a white precipitate is seen.

5. Reaction with bases

Acid + Base Salt + Water
*This type of reaction is called NEUTRALISATION REACTION
E.g. CUO + H2SO4 CUSO4 + H2O

BASE
It is a substance which reacts with an acid to form salt and water
OR
It is a proton (hydrogen ion) acceptor

Examples of Bases
*Bases are usually oxides and hydroxides of metals
-Sodium hydroxide, NaOH Copper (ii) oxide, CuO
-Sodium oxide, Na2O Copper (ii) hydroxide, Cu(OH)2
-Magnesium oxide, MgO Potassium hydroxide, KOH
-Magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2 Calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2

Some bases are soluble in water while others are insoluble.

Alkali
It is a base which is soluble in water.
Examples;
-Sodium hydroxide , NaOH
- Potassium hydroxide KOH
-Calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2 (only slightly soluble)
-Ammonium hydroxide, NH4OH ( ammonia solution)

*When alkalis are dissolved in water, they produce hydroxide ions, OH-
E.g.
NaOH(aq) OH-(aq) + Na+(aq)

KOH(aq) OH-(aq) + K+(aq)

Strong and Weak alkalis

Strong alkali; it is an alkali that undergoes complete ionization/ dissociation when dissolved in
water. It produces higher concentration of or many hydroxide ions in water.
E.g. – Sodium hydroxide ,
-Potassium hydroxide
- Lithium hydroxide

Weak alkali: It is an alkali that undergoes incomplete/ partial ionization when dissolved in
water. It produces lower concentration of or few hydroxide ions in water.
E.g. – Aqueous ammonia
- calcium hydroxide

NH4OH(aq) NH4+(aq) + OH-(aq)

Properties of Bases
1. Taste; they have a bitter taste
2. Effect on indicators (only solutions of alkalis affect indicators)
Indicator Colour of indicator Colour of indicator in the alkali
Universal indicator paper Green Blue/ purple
Red litmus paper Red Blue
Methyl orange Orange Yellow

3. Reaction with acids

Acid + Alkali Salt + Water
They neutralize acids, (see rractions of acids)
4. Reaction with ammonium salts
When an alkali is warmed with any ammonium salt, ammonia gas is produced
E.g.
NH4Cl(aq) + NaOH(aq) NaCl(aq) + NH3(g) + H2O
Test for ammonia gas
Test; A damp/wet red litmus paper is placed at the mouth of the test tube with the gas
Result; the wet red litmus paper turns blue if the gas is ammonia.
Strength & Concentration
Strength- is the degree or level of ionization of a substance. It depends on how many molecules
dissociate/split/ionize in water.
Concentration -is the amount of solute(moles) of a substance that has been dissolved in a unit
volume of solvent.
Concentration can be changed or lowered by dilution but the strength always remains the same.

pH of a solution
pH- is a measure of the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution.
It is a number which indicates how acidic or alkaline a solution is.

pH is measured using a pH scale which ranges from 1-14.

The universal indicator shows a diffent colour for each pH value because each colour is assigned
a number in the pH scale.

How to measure the pH of a solution

-Dip the universal indicator paper in to the solution
-the paper will change colour
-This colour is matched with the colours in the universal indicator chart, the number of the
colour that matches with the colour of the paper is the pH of the solution.

Applications of acid/base reactions in daily life

1. Neutralisation of bee stings; bees inject an acid liquid in to the skin, this can be treated or
neutralized by calamine lotion(zinc carbonate) or baking soda.

2. Treatment of indigestion; Excess acid in the stomach leads to indigestion, this can be
neutralized by baking soda (NaHCO3) or milk of magnesia and eno.
3. Treatment of acidic soils; Acidic soils may be neutralized by adding;
a) Lime (Calcium Oxide)
CaO(s) + 2H+(aq) Ca2+(aq) + H2O(l)
Lime Acid in soil
The lime reacts with the hydrogen ions in the acidic soil.
b) Limestone (calcium carbonate)
CaCO3(s) + 2H+(aq) Ca2+(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g)
Limestone
The limestone reacts with the hydrogen ions in the acidic soil.
4. Brushing of teeth using toothpaste; toothpaste contain weak alkalis. During brushing these
alkalis neutralize acids produced when bacteria in the mouth act on food particles in the teeth.

OXIDES
An oxide is formed when a metal or a non-metal reacts with oxygen.
Oxides are classified in to four distinct types with regard to the way they react with water, acids
or alkalis.
Types of Oxides
-Acidic Oxides
-Basic Oxides
-Amphoteric Oxides
-Neutral Oxides

1. Acidic oxides
These are non-metallic oxides which dissolve in water to form acidic solutions.
Examples;
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Sulphur trioxide (SO3)

CO2(g) + H2O(l) H3CO3(aq) carbonic acid (weak acid)

SO2(g) + H2O(l) H2SO3(aq) sulphurus acic
SO3(g) + H2O(l) H2SO4(aq) sulphuric acid

Acidic oxides also neutralize alkalis to form salt and water.

2. Basic Oxides
These are metallic oxides which react with acids to form salt and water ONLY. If soluble in
water, it forms an alkaline solution.
Examples; K2O, Na2O, CaO; oxides of these metals are soluble in water to give alkalis

MgO, ZnO, CuO, Al2O3, PbO, Fe2O3; oxides of these metals are not soluble in water

3. Amphoteric Oxides
These are metallic oxides which react with acids and alkalis in the same way, forming salt and
water. These oxides show both acidic and basic properties i.e they can act as both acids and
bases.
Examples
Zinc oxide (ZnO)
Aluminium oxide (Al2O3)

Reaction with an acid (as a base)

ZnO + HCl ZnCl + H2O
Al2O3 + HCl AlCl3 + H2O

Reaction with alkalis ( as an acid)

ZnO + NaOH Na2Zn + H2O
Sodium zincate
Al2O3 + NaOH Na2Al + H2O
Sodium alluminate

4. Neutral Oxides
These are also oxides of non-metals, when these oxides dissolve in water they form a neutral
solution.They are neither acidic or basic. They do not have effect on litmus.
Examples;
Carbon monoxide (CO)
Nitrogen monoxide (NO)
Dinitrogen monoxide (N2O)
Water (H2O)