Acids, Alkalis and

Indicators
Acids
Acids

Strong acids Weak acids

• man-made • found in plants and
animals, used in food
• mineral acids
• organic acid
•corrosive
• not very corrosive
• e.g. sulphuric acid
hydrochloric acid nitric • e.g. ethanoic acid
acid citric acid
malic acid
 Acids
• What causes the sour taste in these
beverages?

The presence of citric acid.

 Some Common Acids

• Organic acids are found in living things.

• Which of the acids listed above are organic acids?
• Hydrochloric acid is a mineral acid (inorganic acid) and is commonly found in science
laboratories.
 Acids
1 All solutions of acids contain hydrogen
ions,H+
2 Examples of acids commonly found in the
laboratories.
• Hydrochloric acid (HCl)
• Sulphuric acid (H2SO4)
• Nitric acid (HNO3)
• Ethanoic acid (CH3COOH)
 Physical properties of acidic solutions

Note: All acids only show acidic properties in the presence of water!

Concentrated acids are corrosive.

Physical properties of acidic solutions
1. Acids taste sour.
2. Acids turn blue litmus paper red but have no
effect on red litmus paper.
3. They have pH less than 7.

4. They are good electrical conductors.

*All acids can only show their acidic properties in

the presence of water.
 Chemical properties of acids
1. Dilute acids react with some metals (K, Na,
Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe) to produce hydrogen gas.
metal + acid salt + hydrogen

eg Mg + 2HCl MgCl2 + H2
Mg + H2SO4 MgSO4 + H2

*Dilute acids do not react with copper, silver,

gold
 Chemical properties of acids
2. An acid reacts with a carbonate to produce
a salt, water and carbon dioxide.
acid + carbonate carbon dioxide gas + salt + water

White precipitate
Carbon dioxide gas
is formed is bubbled into
limewater

2HCl + CaCO3 CO2 + CaCl2 + H2O

 Chemical properties of acids
3. An acid reacts with a base to
form a salt and water only.
acid + base salt + water
The reaction between an acid and a base to form a salt
and water only is called neutralisation

HCl + NaOH NaCl + H2O

HNO3 + KOH KNO3 + H2O
H2SO4 + Ca(OH)2 CaSO4 + 2H2O
H2SO4 + CuO CuSO4 + H2O
 Some Uses of Acids
Cleaning metallic surfaces before
Hydrochloric acid they are painted or coated with
other metals
Sulphuric acid Used as an electrolyte in car
batteries making fertilisers, and
plastics
Nitric acid Making fertilisers and explosives

Preserving food and cooking

Ethanoic acid
Making health salts
Citric acid
 Alkalis
• Many household products such as toothpaste,
soap and detergents contain alkalis.

Click the
picture
for uses
of alkalis.
 Alkalis
1 All solutions of alkalis contain hydroxide ions,
OH -
2 Examples of common alkalis found in the
laboratories are
Sodium hydroxide solution NaOH
Potassium hydroxide solution KOH
Calcium hydroxide solution Ca(OH)2
Ammonia solution NH3.H2O
 Physical Properties of Alkaline solutions
*All alkalis can only show their alkaline properties
in the presence of water.

• Strong alkalis are corrosive liquids.

 Physical Properties of alkaline solution
1. Alkalis taste bitter.
2. They feel soapy.
3. They turn red litmus paper blue but have
no effect on blue litmus paper.
4. Alkalis are good electrical conductors.
5. They have pH greater than 7.
 Chemical Properties of Alkalis
1. An alkali reacts with an ammonium salt to produce
ammonia gas, salt and water.
alkali + ammonium salt salt + water + ammonia gas

e.g. NaOH + NH4Cl

NaCl + H2O + NH3

2. An alkali neutralises an acid to form

a salt and water.
alkali + acid salt + water
e.g. KOH + HCl
KCl + H2O
 Alkalis
Alkalis Common names Uses

Sodium hydroxide caustic soda Making soap, washing powder,

drain cleaner
Potassium hydroxide caustic potash Making dyes for fabric and
paint removers
Calcium hydroxide slaked lime Reducing acidity of soil and
making mortar
Aqueous ammonia Making fertilisers and
(Ammonia solution) household cleaning liquids
 Indicators
• Indicators are dyes which change colour with the
acidity or alkalinity of a solution.
• Some common indicators are (litmus, methyl
orange, phenolphthalein, universal indicator)
 pH scale
The pH scale is a range of numbers from 0 to 14, which
indicates how acidic or alkaline a substance is.
 pH scale
Other indicator such as pH paper can be used
A pH meter is an electronic device that can be use to
measure the acidity or the alkalinity of solutions very
effectively.

(a) pH meter being used to

measure the pH of water (b) pH meter is used to
in swimming pool measure pH of the soil
 Neutralisation
1 Neutralisation occurs when an acid
neutralises a base or an alkali to form
salt and water.
(An indicator can be use to find the pH 7 of the solution)

*acid + base salt + water

H2SO4 + MgO MgSO4 + H2O
*acid + alkali salt + water
HNO3 + KOH KNO3 + H2O
•Acid and alkali are reactants.
•salt and water are products.
 Neutralisation

2 Example of everyday uses of neutralisation

• Shampoo (a mild alkali) and conditioner (a mild acid)
• Toothpaste (alkaline) neutralises acids produced by
bacteria
• wasp sting (alkaline) is treated with vinegar to
relieve pain
• Excess acid in the soil is neutralised by adding
slaked lime (calcium hydroxide)
 Salts
• Salts are metal compounds that can be made
from acids.
* All acids contain hydrogen.
*When the hydrogen in an acid is replaced by a metal,
we get a salt.

nitric acid nitrates

hydrochloric acid chlorides

sulphuric acid sulphates

 Preparation of Salts
1 The four methods of preparing salts are:
(a) precipitation of an insoluble salt (mixing)
HCl + AgNO3 AgCl + HNO3
(b) neutralisation of an acid with a base (excess insoluble oxide or hydroxide)
CuO + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O
(c) neutralisation of an acid with an alkali (soluble hydroxide)
HCl + KOH KCl + H2O
(d) reaction of an acid with excess insoluble carbonate
CuCO3 + 2HCl CuCl2 + H2O + CO2
 Flowchart to decide which method to use

Start
No
(a) PRECIPITATION METHOD
Is the salt soluble? Mix solutions of two soluble salts to precipitate an insoluble salt.
eg NaCl + AgNO3 AgCl + NaNO3
Yes
React
(b) acid with metal oxide
or (c) acid with alkali
or(d) acid with metal carbonate

Yes
Are all reactants (c) Mix acid with alkali to produce salt and water
soluble in water? eg HCl + NaOH NaCl + H2O

No
(b)Mix acid and excess metal oxide
or (d) excess metal carbonate to produce salt?
eg CuO + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O
MgCO3 + H2SO4 MgSO4 +H2O+CO2
 Salts
Soluble Insoluble
All sodium, potassium and
ammonium salts
All nitrates
All chlorides except lead(II) chloride and
silver chloride.
All sulphates except lead(II) sulphate,
barium sulphate and
calcium sulphate
sodium carbonate, All other carbonates
potassium carbonate
and ammonium carbonate