Acids, Alkalis and Salts

INDICATORS
Students are able to: To identify the character of acid, base, and salt by using an indicator To classify substance in our daily live based on acid, base, and salt concept To use an indicator to know the pH of a substance Understand the concept of neutralization

reaction

Acids
Most people think of acids as corrosive liquids which bubbles when they come into contact with solids and burn when they touch the skin. This description is true for many acids. Some acids are not corrosive and are found in our food. They give some foods their sour taste.

The hazard symbol for a corrosive substance.

The word acid comes from the Latin word acidus meaning sour.

Examples of acids
Acids Animal origin muscles during vigorous exercise urine, excretory product from DNA in food ant sting

hydrochloric acid human stomach

lactic acid uric acid methanoic acid

Acids citric acid tartaric acid ascorbic acid grapes

Plant origin orange and lemon juice vitamin C in citrus fruits

methanoic acid nettle sting

 Animals and plants that produce acid.

 Bottles of dilute and concentrated acids.

Properties of Acids
Acids have a sour taste. Acids turn blue litmus paper red. Acids react with some metals to give off hydrogen gas. Acids react with metal carbonates to give off carbon dioxide gas.

Acids can be classified into two types:

Organic acids and Inorganic or mineral acids
The acids produced by plants and animals (with the exception of hydrochloric acid) are known as organic acids. Ethanoic acid is an organic acid and was the first to be used in experiments.

 The first mineral acid to be discovered was nitric acid. It was used to separate silver and gold.

These mineral acids are much stronger than ethanoic acid and allow more chemical reactions to be made.

Organic acids are weak acids; they are often found in food.
Organic Acid Citric Acid Tartaric Acid Source Oranges, Limes, Lemons Grapes, Health salts, Baking powder

Malic Acid
Tannic Acid Acetic Acid

Apples, Goose berries, Grapes

Tea Vinegar

Organic Acids
Is an organic compound with acidic properties. produced by plants and animals with the exception of hydrochloric acid. A few common examples include: Formic acid-it is found in the stings and bites of many insects of the order Hymenoptera, mainly ants.

 Citric acid-is a weak organic acid. A natural preservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks.

Ethanoic acid or acetic acid- is found in vinegar and is produced as wine becomes sour.

Mineral acids
Derived from rocks or mineral sources

Mineral acids are strong acids

is an acid derived by chemical reaction

from inorganic minerals, as opposed to organic acids.

Mineral acids are very important to chemical procedures.

A few common examples include:

Hydrochloric acid-it is a strong acid, and the major component of gastric acid. It is also widely used in industry. It is a highly corrosive solution. Nitric acid-also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive toxic strong acid that can cause severe burns.

 Sulphuric acid-(H2SO4)is a strong mineral acid.

It is soluble in water at all concentrations.

Principal uses include ore processing fertilizers manufacturing, oil refining, wastewater processing, and chemical synthesis

Acid rain
Sulphur dioxide is produced by the combustion of sulphur in a fuel when the fuel is burned. Sulphur dioxide reacts with water vapour and oxygen in the air to form sulphuric acid. This may fall to the ground as acid rain or acid snow. Oxides of nitrogen are converted to nitirc acid in the atmospehre and this falls to the ground as acid rain or acid snow.

The effect of acid rain

Acid rain reaches the ground it drains into the soil, dissolves some of the minerals there and carries them away. This process is called leaching. The acid rain drains into rivers and. lakes and lowers the pH of the water. If the pH changes, they die and the animals that feed on them, such as fish, may also die.

Uses of Acids
Acid Citric acid Tartaric acid Uses Used in making fruit juice Used as preservatives and flavouring agent in food Used in making cakes Used in health salts (efervescent tablets)

Tannic acid

Used in tanning leather Used in dyeing fabrics Used in making ink

Present in our stomach which helps in food digestion and kills bacteria Used as rust remover Used as electrolyte in car batteries Used as soda-acid fire extinguisher Used to make fertilizers

Hydrochloric acid Sulphuric acid Nitric acid

Carbonic acid
Ethanoic acid

Used in making soft drinks

The diluted form is used in making vinegar Used as preservatives

Bases/Alkalis
As bases neutralize acids they are sometimes described as having properties which are opposite to acids. Bases are hydrogencarbonates A concentrated solution of an alkali is corrosive and can burn the skin. Can be found commonly in households Like acids there are strong and weak alkalis

Bases/Alkalis
Examples and uses of alkalis

 A concentrated solution of an alkali is corrosive and can burn the skin. The same hazard symbol as the one used for acids (is used on containers of alkalis when they are transported.

Even dilute solutions of alkali such as dilute sodium hydroxide solution react with fat on the surface of the skin and change it into substances found in soap.

Properties of Alkalis
Alkalis are bitter and have a soapy feel. Some general properties of bases include: Bitter taste (opposed to sour taste of acids) Slimy or soapy feel on fingers

Properties of Alkalis
Concentrated or strong bases are caustic (corrosive) on organic matter and react violently with acidic substances Aqueous solutions or molten bases dissociate in ions and conduct electricity Reactions with indicators: bases turn red litmus paper blue and phenolpthalein red

 Some substance change colour when an acid or an alkali is added to them. Litmus is a substance which is extracted from living organisms called lichen. Blue litmus paper turns red when it comes into contact with an acid. Red litmus paper turns blue when it comes into contact with an alkalis.

Detecting acids and alkalis

Strong and weak acids and alkalis

The strength of an acid or alkali does not describe whether the solution is dilute or concentrated. It describes the ability of a substance to form particles called ions. Acids form hydrogen ions and alkalis form hydroxide ions.

 Strong acid forms a large number of hydrogen ions and weak acid forms a small number of hydrogen ions strong alkali forms a large number of hydroxide ions and weak alkali forms a small number of hydroxide ions The strength of an acid or alkali is measured on the pH scale. On this scale the strongest acid is 0 and the strongest alkali is 14.

 A solution with a pH of 7 is neutral. It is neither an acid nor an alkali.

A strong acid has a pH of 0-2, a weak acid has a pH of 3-6; a weak alkali has a pH of 8-11 and a strong alkali has a pH of 12-14.
An electrical instrument called a pH meter is used to measure the pH of an acid or alkali accurately.

 For general laboratory use, the pH of an acid or an alkali is measured with universal indicator. This is made from a mixture of indicators. Each indicator changes colour over part of the range of the scale. By combining the indicators, a solution is made that gives various colours over the whole of the pH range.

Mixing Acids and Alkalis

When acids mix with alkalis, a reaction called neutralization occurs in which salt and water are formed. This reaction can be written as a general word equation:

acid + base salt + water

Example
e.g. hydrochloric acid + magnesium Magnesium chloride + hydrogen gas

reacting acids with carbonates

e.g. Nitric acid + Lead carbonate

2HNO3 + PbCO3

Lead nitrate + Water + Carbon dioxide gas

Pb(NO3)2 + H2O +CO2

Using neutralization reactions

Sometimes the stomach produces too much acid, which causes indigestion. The acid is neutralized by taking a tablet containing either magnesium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, aluminum hydroxide or sodium hydrogencarbonate

Acidity in the soil affects the growth of crops. It makes them produce less food. Lime (calcium hydroxide) is used to neutralize acidity in soil. When it is applied to fields it makes them appear temporarily white.

Everyday uses of neutralisation

Shampoos Toothpaste

Antacid tablet

Fire extinguisher

Uses of Alkalis
Alkali Sodium hydroxide Uses Used to unclog drains and sinks as it eats up organic matter in them Used to make soap

Potassium hydroxide

Used to dye cloth Used in printing Used in making liquid soap Used in paint varnish removal Used in electroplating

Calcium hydroxide
Magnesium hydroxide Ammonia solution

Used in making cement and plaster Used to reduce the acidic condition is soil
Used in making toothpaste Used as a detergent Used as a bleaching agent

Salts
Salts here do not refer only to table salt which we use for preserving food Some salts are poisonous eg. Salts of lead and mercury When acid is added to a base, a salt is formed.

 A salt may be soluble or insoluble in water

Salt Carbonates Chlorides Nitrates Sulphates Solubility All carbonates are insoluble except for sodium, potassium and ammonium carbonates All chlorides are soluble except for silver and lead chlorides All nitrates are soluble All sulphates are soluble except for barium, calcium and lead sulphates

 A soluble salt is first prepared as a solution and the crystals are then obtained by evaporation An insoluble salt is prepared by precipitation where the solutes are obtained by filtration

Salts Ammonium salts Calcium chloride

Uses To make fertiliser As a drying agent To increase the cement power in lime for wall plasters To make plaster of Paris for fractures To make strong, mineral laxative To make fertilisers To make gun powder and fireworks As a food preservative To make chlorine gas As a photographic film emulsion As a wood and skin preservative To clarify glue

Calcium sulphate Magnesium sulphate Potassium nitrate

Sodium chloride Silver chloride Zinc sulphate

Experiment that can be done inside the classroom or inside the laboratory
Things to bring: House hold items a. Bebek b. Bayclin d. Mama lemon e. Fiz shampoo, vinegar Fruits & Veg. a. Tomato b. Apple d. Orange/lime e. Manggo tea, sprite , coke, salt, mylanta (antacid)

c. Wipol f. Others

c. Grapes f. Others

Things to prepare : (apparatus/materials needed)

1.Litmus paper/phenolpthalein red 2. Universal indicator 3. Dropper & glass rod 4. White tile 5. Test tube/ small container 6. Test tube rack 7. beaker