ACIDS, BASES AND SALTS

NOTES - X
Acids: Chemical substances which have a sour taste and change the color of
blue litmus to red.
Bases: Chemical substances which have a bitter taste and change the color of
red litmus to blue.
Indicators: Substances which determine the nature of a substance by changing
its color or odour.
i. Natural indicators: Indicators obtained from plants or animals.
Ex: Litmus, turmeric etc,.
ii. Synthetic indicators : Artificially prepared indicators.
Ex: Methyl orange, phenolphthalein
iii. Olfactory indicators: Indicators which determine the nature of a
substance by changing their odour.
Ex: Onion, vanilla etc,.
THE CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF ACIDS AND BASES
1. Reaction with metals
Acid + Metal → Salt + Hydrogen gas
H2SO4 +Zn → ZnSO4 +H2
❖ In the above reactions metal displaces hydrogen from the acids.
❖ Since acids react with metals to form salt and hydrogen gas, the
substances containing acids should not be kept in metal containers.

Base + Metal → Salt + Hydrogen gas

❖ Not all metals react with bases. Usually Zn and Al show reactivity
towards the bases.

Ex: 2NaOH + Zn → Na2ZnO2 + H2

(Sodium zincate)
2. Reaction of metal carbonates and metal hydrogen carbonates with acids
❖ All metal carbonates and hydrogencarbonates react
with acids to give a corresponding salt, carbon
dioxide and water.
Metal carbonate/Metal hydrogencarbonate + Acid → Salt + Carbon dioxide +
Water

➢ Na2CO3(s) + 2HCl(aq) → 2NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2( g )

➢ NaHCO3(s) + HCl(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2( g )

❖ Test for carbon dioxide gas : On passing the carbon dioxide gas
evolved through lime water, the lime water turns milky due to the
formation of white precipitate of CaCO3.
➢ Ca(OH)2(aq) + CO2(g) → CaCO3(s) + H2O(l)
(Lime water) ( White precipitate )

❖ On passing excess carbon dioxide the milkiness disappears

due to the formation of Ca(HCO3)2 which is soluble in
water.:
➢ CaCO3(s)+ H2O(l)+ CO2(g) →Ca(HCO3)2(aq)

( Soluble in water )

3. Reaction between acids and bases

❖ The reaction between an acid and a base to give a salt and water is
known as a neutralisation reaction.
Base + Acid → Salt + Water

➢ NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)

4. Reaction of Metallic Oxides with Acids

(Metal oxides are basic in nature, so they react with acids)

Metal oxide + Acid → Salt + Water

➢ CuO + 2HCl → CuCl2 + H2O

blue-green colour
 ❖ The colour of the solution becomes blue green and
the copper oxide dissolves. The blue-green colour of
the solution is due to the formation of copper(II)
chloride in the reaction.
❖ Since metallic oxides react with acids to give salts and water, similar to
the reaction of a base with an acid, metallic oxides are said to be basic
oxides.

5. Reaction of a Non-metallic Oxide with Base

Non metal oxide + Base → Salt + Water

Ex: Calcium hydroxide, which is a base, reacts with

carbon dioxide to produce a salt and water.
➢ CO2(g) + Ca(OH)2(aq) → CaCO3(s) + H2O(l)
(Lime water) ( White precipitate )

❖ Since this is similar to the reaction between a base and

and acid, we can conclude that nonmetallic oxides are
acidic in nature.

Acids / bases in water

❖ In the presence of water, all acids give H+ ions.

HCl + H2O → H3O+ + Cl–
❖ As H+ ions cannot exist alone, it combines with water molecules and
form H3O+ (hydronium ion).
H+ + H2O → H3O+
❖ In the same way, in presence of water, bases give OH- ion.

❖ All bases do not dissolve in water.

❖ Bases which are soluble in water are called alkalis.
❖ As we have identified that all acids generate H+( aq) and all bases
generate OH- ( aq), we can view the neutralisation reaction as follows –

Acid + Base → Salt + Water

 H X + M OH → MX + HOH
H+(aq) + OH– (aq) → H2O(l)
❖ The process of dissolving an acid or a base in water is a highly
exothermic one. Care must be taken while mixing concentrated nitric acid
or sulphuric acid with water. The acid must always be added slowly to
water with constant stirring. If water is added to a concentrated acid, the
heat generated may cause the mixture to splash out and cause burns. The
glass container may also break due to excessive local heating.

Dilution: Mixing an acid or base with water results in decrease in the

concentration of ions (H3O+/OH–) per unit volume. Such a process is called
dilution and the acid or the base is said to be diluted.

Preparation of HCl gas (Refer activity 2.9, fig 2.4)

➢ Take about 1g solid NaCl in a clean and dry test tube.
➢ Add some concentrated sulphuric acid to the test tube.
➢ We can observe a gas coming out of the delivery tube.
➢ Test the gas evolved successively with dry and wet blue litmus paper.
➢ We can observe that only wet litmus paper shows change in colour.

➢ Inference about the acidic character of:

(i) dry HCl gas : do not show acidic character due to the absence of water.
(ii) HCl solution : H+ ions are produced in the presence of water and thus shows
acidic character.

➢ Conclusion: This experiment suggests that hydrogen ions in HCl are

produced only in the presence of water. The separation of H+ ion from
HCl molecules cannot occur in the absence of water.

Strength of an acid or base

❖ Strength of an acid or base depends on the number of H+ ions or OH-
ions produced by them respectively.
pH scale: The scale for measuring hydrogen ion concentration in a solution.
❖ Values more than 7 on the pH scale represent a basic solution.
❖ If pH = 7, solution is neutral.
❖ If pH >7, solution is basic.
❖ If pH < 7, solution is acidic.
❖ Higher the hydronium ion concentration in a solution, lower is its pH.
 ❖ Generally paper impregnated with the universal indicator is used for
measuring pH.
❖ Acids that give rise to more H+ ions are said to be strong acids, and acids
that give less H+ ions are said to be weak acids.
❖ Bases that give rise to more OH-ions are said to be strong bases, and
acids that give less OH- ions are said to be weak bases.
Importance of pH in Everyday Life
❖ Our body works within the pH range of 7.0 to 7.8. Living organisms can
survive only in a narrow range of pH change.
❖ When pH of rain water is less than 5.6, it is called acid rain. When acid
rain flows into the rivers, it lowers the pH of the river water. The survival
of aquatic life in such rivers becomes difficult.
❖ Plants require a specific pH range for their healthy growth.
❖ Our stomach produces hydrochloric acid. It helps in the digestion of food
without harming the stomach. During indigestion the stomach produces
too much acid and this causes pain and irritation. To get rid of this pain,
people use bases called antacids. These antacids neutralise the excess
acid. Magnesium hydroxide (Milk of magnesia), a mild base, is often
used for this purpose.
❖ Tooth decay starts when the pH of the mouth is lower than 5.5. Tooth
enamel, made up of calcium phosphate is the hardest substance in the
body. It does not dissolve in water, but is corroded when the pH in the
mouth is below 5.5. Bacteria present in the mouth produce acids by
degradation of sugar and food particles remaining in the mouth after
eating. The best way to prevent this is to clean the mouth after eating
food. Using toothpastes, which are generally basic, for cleaning the teeth
can neutralise the excess acid and prevent tooth decay.
❖ Bee-sting leaves an acid which causes pain and irritation. Use of a mild
base like baking soda on the stung area gives relief.
Salts
❖ Salts are produced by the neutralization reaction between acid and base.
❖ Salts of a strong acid and a strong base are neutral with pH value of 7.
❖ Salts of a strong acid and weak base are acidic with pH value less than 7.
❖ Salts of a strong base and weak acid are basic in nature, with pH value
more than 7.
Chemicals from Common Salt
Chlor-alkali process
When electricity is passed through an aqueous solution of sodium chloride
(called brine), it decomposes to form sodium hydroxide. The process is called
the chlor-alkali process because of the products formed– chlor for chlorine and
alkali for sodium hydroxide.
2NaCl(aq) + 2H2O(l) → 2NaOH(aq) + Cl2(g) + H2( g )
➢ Chlorine gas is given off at the anode.
➢ Hydrogen gas at the cathode.
➢ Sodium hydroxide solution is formed near the cathode. The three
products produced in this process are all useful.
➢ (Refer fig.2.8 – Uses of the products of chlor-alkali process)

Bleaching powder – Calcium oxychloride (CaOCl2)

❖ Bleaching powder is produced by the action of chlorine on dry slaked
lime [Ca(OH)2] .
Ca(OH)2 + Cl2 → CaOCl2 + H2O

Uses
➢ For bleaching cotton and linen in the textile
industry.
➢ For bleaching wood pulp in paper factories.
➢ For bleaching washed clothes in laundry.
➢ As an oxidising agent in many chemical industries.
➢ For disinfecting drinking water to make it free of
germs

Baking soda - sodium hydrogencarbonate (NaHCO3)It is produced using

sodium chloride as one of the raw materials.

NaCl + H2O + CO2 + NH3 → NH4Cl + NaHCO3

(Ammonium ( Sodium
chloride)hydrogencarbonate)
❖ It is a mild non-corrosive base.
 ❖ The following reaction takes place when it is heated
during cooking –
2NaHCO3 Heat
→ Na2CO3+H2O+CO2
(Sodium ( Sodium
hydrogencarbonate) carbonate)
Uses
➢ For making baking powder, which is a mixture of baking soda (
sodium hydrogencarbonate) and a mild edible acid such as tartaric
acid. When baking powder is heated or mixed in water, the
following reaction takes place –
NaHCO3 + H+ → CO2 + H2O + Sodium salt of acid
(From any acid)
Carbon dioxide produced during the reaction causes bread or cake to
rise making them soft and spongy.
➢ Sodium hydrogencarbonate is also an ingredient in antacids. Being
alkaline, it neutralises excess acid in the stomach and provides
relief.
➢ It is also used in soda-acid fire extinguishers.

Washing soda –Sodium carbonate ( Na2CO3.10H2O)

❖ Sodium carbonate can be obtained by heating baking
soda. Recrystallisation of sodium carbonate gives
washing soda. It is also a basic salt.

Na2CO3 + 10H2O→Na2CO3.10H2O
(Sodium
carbonate)

Uses
➢ Sodium carbonate (washing soda) is used in glass, soap and paper
industries.
➢ It is used in the manufacture of sodium compounds such as borax.
➢ Sodium carbonate can be used as a cleaning agent for domestic purposes.
➢ It is used for removing permanent hardness of water.

Water of crystallization- It is the fixed number of water molecules present

in one formula unit of a salt.

❖ Example: Five water molecules are present in one formula unit of copper
sulphate. Chemical formula for hydrated copper sulphate is
Cu SO4. 5H2O.
❖ Other salt, which possesses water of crystallisation is gypsum.It has two
water molecules as water of cyrstallisation. It has the formula
CaSO4.2H2O.

Plaster of Paris - calcium sulphate hemihydrate (CaSO4. H2O)

❖ On heating gypsum at 373 K, it loses water molecules and becomes
calcium sulphate hemihydrate.
❖ Plaster of Paris is a white powder and on mixing with water, it changes to
gypsum once again giving a hard solid mass.

CaSO4 .1/2H2O +1 1/2H2O→CaSO4 .2H2O

(Plaster of Paris) (Gypsum)

Uses

➢ Plaster of Paris, the substance which doctors use as plaster for supporting
fractured bones in the right position.
➢ Plaster of Paris is used for making toys and materials for decoration.
➢ It is also used for making surfaces smooth.

********God Bless You********