1 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

What is an acid?

Acids are a group of soluble chemicals.

Acids taste sour, will change the color of an acid-base
indicator, and can be strong or weak electrolytes in
aqueous solution. Turns blue litmus paper red
Citrus fruits contain citric acid. Tea contains tannic
acid.

2 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Arrhenius said that acids are hydrogen-containing
compounds that ionize to yield hydrogen ions (H+)
in aqueous solution. He also said that bases are
compounds that ionize to yield hydroxide ions (OH–
) in aqueous solution.

3 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

 What is a strong acid?
Some acids, like those found in the laboratory or a car battery, are
too dangerous to taste or touch.
These acids are said to be corrosive as they can
damage other materials by wearing them away.
Concentrated acids can completely dissolve skin
and bones.
In the 1940s, an Englishman called John Haigh
murdered six people, and disposed of each of the
bodies by dissolving them in sulfuric acid for
two days.
Without the bodies as evidence Haigh thought he
would get away with the crimes, but a
pathologist found human fat, pieces of bone,
gall stones and false teeth, which had resisted
the acid.
John 4Haigh
of 31
was found guilty of the murders and© Boardworks Ltd 2008
 Weak vs. Strong Acids
• Weak Acids do not ionize completely: Acetic,
Boric, Nitrous, Phosphoric, Sulfurous
• Strong Acids ionize completely: Hydrochloric,
Nitric; Sulfuric, Hydriodic
• HCl- hydrochloric- stomach acid
• H2SO4- sulfuric acid - car batteries
• HNO3 – nitric acid - explosives
• HC2H3O2- acetic acid - vinegar
• H2CO3-carbonic acid – sodas
• H3PO4- phosphoric acid -flavorings

5 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

BASES
The Brønsted-Lowry theory defines an acid as a
hydrogen-ion donor, and a base as a hydrogen-ion
acceptor.

6 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

What is an alkali?
Alkalis or base are substances that are chemically the
opposite of acids.
A base is a solution that has an excess of OH- ions.
Another word for base is alkali.
Bases are substances that can accept hydrogen ions
Weak alkalis are found in soaps and other cleaning materials.
They are also used in antacids to treat indigestion.
Bases taste bitter, feel slippery, will change the color of an
acid-base indicator, and can be strong or weak electrolytes
in aqueous solution. Corrosive, Turns red litmus paper
blue.
Antacids use bases to neutralize excess stomach acid. The
base calcium hydroxide is a component of mortar.

7 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

 What is
• pH greater than 7
a BASE?
• Feels slippery
• Dissolves fats and oils
• Usually forms OH- ions in solution
• Neutralizes acids
• Weak vs. Strong Bases
• Weak Bases: ammonia; potassium carbonate,
sodium carbonate
• Strong Bases: sodium hydroxide; sodium
phosphate; barium hydroxide; calcium hydroxide
• NaOH- sodium hydroxide (LYE) soaps, drain cleaner
• Mg (OH)2 - magnesium hydroxide-antacids
• Al(OH)3-aluminum hydroxide-antacids, deodorants
• NH OH-ammonium hydroxide- “ammonia”
8 of431 © Boardworks Ltd 2008
What is a strong alkali?

Some alkalis, like those used in laboratories,

or in cleaning materials such as bleach, are
too dangerous to touch.
These alkalis are said to be caustic because
they can burn skin, and damage other
materials.
These are strong alkalis.
What safety precautions should you take
when handling a strong alkali?
Many people suffer from eczema, a
condition
which can make the skin itchy and sore.
Sometimes this is caused by an allergic
reaction to soap or other cleaning materials.
Which chemicals in soap do you think
might cause the allergic reaction?
9 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008
 What are hazard symbols?
How can you tell which chemicals are safe and which are
dangerous?
Special symbols are used on bottles and vehicles that
contain dangerous chemicals.

i h

toxic irritant harmful corrosive highly

flammable
These hazard symbols show why the chemical is dangerous.
Why is it important that these symbols can be recognised by
people from other countries?

10 of 34 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

ACID AND BASES Quiz.

1.Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of

acids?
• taste sour
• are electrolytes
• feel slippery
• affect the color of indicators
2.Which compound is most likely to act as an
Arrhenius acid?
• H2O
• NH3.
• NaOH.
• H2SO4.

11 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

3. A Lewis acid is any substance that can accept
• a hydronium ion.
• a proton.
• hydrogen.
• a pair of electrons.

12 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

What is a neutral substance?
Neutral substances are neither acidic nor alkaline.
⚫ Pure water is a neutral substance.
⚫ Saltwater, milk, saliva and blood may actually be slightly
acidic or alkaline, but are all very close to neutral.
What safety precautions should you take when handling a
neutral substance?
Some flowers change colour depending on whether they are
growing in acidic or alkaline soil. Hydrangeas grow blue flowers
in an acidic soil, but pink flowers in an alkaline soil. The flowers
contain compounds called anthocyanins, which act as
indicators.

13 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

  An indicator
 Compound that
changes color in
solution.
 Ex. Litmus
 Ex. phenolphthalein

Reactions with indicators

Indicator Acid color Neutral color Base color
Phenolphthalein Colorless Faint pink Dark pink
Bromthymol blue Yellow Green Blue
Litmus Red ----- Blue
 What is an indicator?
An indicator is a chemical that turns a different colour
depending on whether it is added to an acid or an alkali.
Litmus is a commonly used indicator. It can be added to filter
paper, or used as a liquid. Litmus is made from lichen, which
grows on stone and rock.
Litmus can be blue or red. Blue litmus
turns red under acidic conditions (<

neutral
pH 4.5), and red litmus turns blue

alkali
acid
under alkaline conditions (> pH 8.3).
The litmus test
 What is universal indicator?
Universal indicator has a range of colours that show how
weak or strong the acid or alkali is.

strong acid weak acid neutral weak alkali strong alkali

What is the colour for a weak acid?
What is the colour for a strong alkali?
Universal indicator is made from a mixture of indicators.
Why do you think it is more useful than litmus?

17 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

  pH is a measure pH Scale
of how acidic or
basic a solution is.
• Ranges from 0 to 14.
 Acidic solutions - pH below 7
 pH of 7 is neutral.
• Pure water has a pH of 7
• Basic solutions - pH above 7.
• A change of 1 pH unit represents a tenfold
(x10) change in the acidity of the
solution.
• Tomato – pH 4
• Lemon - pH 2
• Lemons are 100 times more acidic than
18 tomatoes
pH Scale

pH of Common Substances

19 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

 Measurements of Acidity & Alkalinity (pH)
Acidity of a solution
> measured by
concentration of
hydrogen ions (H+).
pH ranges: 0 (very
acidic) to 14
(very basic).
Change in just one unit
of scale = tenfold change
in H+ concentration.
If concentration of H+ =
OH - … neutral.
pH paper changes color
to indicate a specific
pH value.
Images: pH scale, Edward Stevens, Wiki From the Virtual Cell Biology Classroom on ScienceProfOnline.com
 Soil pH
Different soils have different pH levels. This is because they are
made up of different rocks, and so contain different chemicals.
The pH of soil affects the availability of
nutrients, and plants prefer to grow in soils
of a certain pH.
For example, strawberries grow best
in acidic soil, and plums grow best in
alkaline soil.
How could you check the pH of the
soil in
your garden?

21 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

 PH TESTING
• There are several ways to test pH
• Blue litmus paper (red = acid)
• Red litmus paper (blue = basic)
• pH paper (multi-colored)
• pH meter (7 is neutral, <7 acid,
>7 base)
• Indicators like phenolphthalein –
we will use this
If soil is too acidic to grow certain crops, lime can be
added.
• Lime is an alkali called calcium oxide. 22
 pH in the Digestive System
• Mouth-pH around 7. Saliva contains amylase, an
enzyme which begins to break carbohydrates into
sugars.
• Stomach- pH around 2. Proteins are broken down into amino
acids by the enzyme pepsin.
• Small intestine-pH around 8. Most digestion ends.
Small molecules move to bloodstream toward cells that
use them
Pollution in the air (sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide,
Acid Rain
nitrogen dioxide) combines with water to form various
acids.
• Rapid changes in pH can kill fish and other organisms
in lakes and streams.
• Soil pH is affected and can kill plants and create
sinkholes
23 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008
 Acid – Base Reactions
 A reaction between an
acid and a base is called
neutralization.
 The result of a “perfect”
neutralization reaction is a
solution with a pH of 7
oThe products of an acid base reaction are a salt and
water
Compounds that dissociate in water and produce cations
other than H+ and anions other than OH- are called
salts. The most familiar salt is sodium chloride, the
principal component of common table salt.
Other examples of salts: Baking soda (NaHCO3)
Epsom Salts (MgSO4)
 Neutralization Reaction
• A neutralization reaction is the reaction of
an acid with a base to produce salt and
water.
• Example
H2SO4 + NaOH → NaHSO4 + H2O
• Digestion-process by which foods are broken down
into simpler substances.
• Mechanical digestion-physical process in which food is
torn apart (mouth)
• Chemical digestion- chemical reactions in which large
molecules are broken down into smaller molecules.
(stomach and small intestines)
25 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008
 What is a SALT?
• A salt is a neutral substance produced from the
reaction of an acid and a base.
• Composed of the negative ion of an acid and the
positive ion of a base.
• One of the products of a Neutralization Reaction
• Examples: KCl, MgSO4, Na3PO4

26 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

 What is neutralization?
The chemical reaction between an acid and an alkali
is called neutralization.

acid alkali a salt water

What happens to the pH value of the reaction mixture during

neutralization?
The pH value of the reaction mixture becomes closer to 7.

27 of 34 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

 Neutralizing stings

A bee sting A wasp sting

is acidic. is alkaline.

Why can bicarbonate Why can vinegar (pH 3)

of soda (pH 9) be used be used to treat
to treat a bee sting? a wasp sting?

28 of 34 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Salts: The Role of Buffers
- Certain salts, called buffers, can
combine with excess hydrogen (H+) or
hydroxide (OH-) ions.
- Produce substances less acidic or
alkaline.
- Act like a chemical sponge to soak up excess
acid or base, keep pH constant.
- A buffer is a solution that resists changes in
pH when small amounts of acids and bases
are added.

- Buffers can be “used up”. Once used

up, no longer help
regulate pH.
- Buffers are vital to maintaining pH in
carbonate
organisms.
29 of 31
(CaCo3). From the Virtual Cell Biology Classroom on ScienceProfOnline.com
© Boardworks Ltd 2008
Acid or alkali: true or false?

30 of 31 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

ACID-BASE TITRATIONS
REACTIONS
HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) → NaCl (aq)
acid + H2O (l)

base
We can carry out this neutralization
reaction using TITRATION.
This will allow us to determine the
unknown concentration of an acid
or base ([H+] or [OH-]) 31
 ACID-BASE REACTIONS
TITRATIONS

At the end of a titration

reaction Moles of acid =
Titration is used to determine the
Concentration of OH- (or H+) ion in
the solution being analyzed

33
 ACID
NOMENCLATURE
Anion
Ending Acid Name
No Oxygen -ide hydro-(st
In acid
-ate (
w/Oxygen
-it
An easy way to remember which goes with which…
“You ATE something ICky, and you bITE 34

deliciOUS”
something
 EXAMPLES: MEMORIZE
THESE FOUR ACIDS – NAMES
AND CHEMICAL FORMULAS
• HCl hydrochloric
acid

• H2SO4 sulfuric

• HNO3 nitric

• H3PO4 phosphoric

35
 GROSSAR
•Yacid – A chemical that has a pH less than
7.
• alkali – A chemical that has a pH greater than 7 and which
dissolves in
water.
• indicator – A special chemical that changes its colour in
acidic
or alkaline
solutions.
• neutral – A chemical with a pH of 7 that is neither an
acid
nor an
alkali.
• pH scale – The range of values that shows how strong or
weak an acid or alkali
is.
• universal indicator – An indicator that shows the pH value of
a
chemical.