ACIDS AND BASES

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For example : hydrochloric acid

Hydrogen chloride, Dissolved/ionized in Hydrochloric

HCl (g) water acid, HCl (aq)

1. As gas dissolved in water, the hydrogen chloride molecules

+ -
react with water and ionises to produce H and Cl ions:
HCl (aq) → H+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)

Ionisation of
Add water, HCl
H2O
H+ Cl-
Cl become
2
H Cl H+
H Cl-
water
2. In water, hydrogen ion attaches itself to water
molecule to form hydroxonium ion, H3O+ :

H+(aq) + H2O (l) → H3O+ (aq)

3. Overall equation for ionisation of HCl is given by :

HCl (aq) → H+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)

H+(aq) + H2O (l) → H3O+ (aq)

HCl (aq) + H2O (l) → Cl- (aq) + H3O+ (aq)

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Other acids ionise similarly in water:
H2O
HNO3 (aq) → H+ (aq) + NO3 – (aq)
(nitric acid) (nitrate ion)

H2O
H2SO4 (aq) → 2H+ (aq) + SO4 2- (aq)
(sulfuric acid) (sulphate ion)

H2O
H3PO4 (aq) → 3H+ (aq) + PO4 3- (aq)
(Phosphoric acid) (phosphate ion)
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 Acid can be divided into:
Monoprotic
Diprotic

 Monoprotic acid
 Example : hydrochloric acid
HCl (aq) → H+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)
1 mol of H+ ion produced from ionisation of
1 mol acid
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 Diprotic acid :

 Example : sulfuric acid

H2SO4(aq) → 2H+(aq) + SO42- (aq)

2 mol of H+ ion produced from

ionisation of 1 mol acid

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 ACIDS ARE CLASSIFIED INTO 2 GROUPS:
Mineral acids Organic acids
(obtain from (extracted from animal
minerals) and plant materials)
 Carbonic acid (H2CO3)  Methanoic acid
 Hydrochloric acid (HCOOH)
(HCl)  Ethanoic acid

 Sulphuric acid (CH3COOH)

(H2SO4)  Propanoic acid

 Nitric acid (HNO3) (C2H5COOH)

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 BASES
Arrhenius definition of a base:
A substances which ionises/dissociates in
water to produce hydroxide ions, OH-

For example:
H2O
NaOH (aq) → Na+ (aq) + OH- (aq)
NH3 (aq) + H2O (l) ↔ NH4+ (aq) + OH- (aq)8
 2 CATEGORIES OF BASE :
Ionic base Covalent base

Consists
of :
Metal Metal  Ammonia (NH3)
hydroxide oxide
(contain (contain
hydroxide oxide, O2-
ions, OH-) ions)
NaOH CaO The most common of
KOH BaO covalent base
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Ba(OH)2 K 2O
  Ionic bases are divided into 2 categories :

Metal hydroxides: Metal oxide:

Contain Contain
hydroxide ion, OH- oxide ion, O2-

CaO(s) + H2O(l) Ca(OH)2(aq)

H2 O
NaOH(s) Na+(aq) + OH-(aq)
Ca(OH)2(aq) Ca2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq)

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 ALKALIS

 Some bases can dissolves in water.

 These soluble bases is known as alkalis.

 Examples of alkalis are NaOH, KOH and NH3.

Bases can be metal
hydroxide, metal oxide
bases and ammonia
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alkalis Bases that soluble

in water
 What about insoluble base?
Some of the metal hydroxides and metal oxides are
insoluble in water

But why they are still classified as bases?

This is because we have an alternative definition of

base:
a base is a substance that REACTS with an
acid to FORM salt and water only

insoluble base (insoluble metal oxide and insoluble

metal hydroxide) are classified as bases because 12

they satisfy the alternative definition of base!

For examples :

1. Magnesium hydroxide is an insoluble base.

It reacts with HCl to produce magnesium chloride salt

and water:

Mg(OH) 2 (s) + 2HCl (aq) → MgCl2 (aq) + 2H2O (l)

2. Copper (II) oxide reacts with nitric acid to produce

copper (II) nitrate salt and water:

CuO (s) + 2HNO3 (aq) → Cu(NO3)2 (aq) + 2H2O (l)

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 ROLE OF WATER & THE PROPERTIES OF ACIDS

 Hydrogen ions, H+ are responsible for acids to show their

properties.

 Acid only shows its acidic properties when dissolved in

water.

BECAUSE..

without water acid still exist as molecule and there is

no H+ ions

In the presence of water, acid ionises to form

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H+ ions and cause the acid to show its acidic
properties.
 ROLE OF WATER & THE PROPERTIES OF
ACIDS (EXAMPLE)
Glacial ethanoic acid contains pure ethanoic acid (no water at
all).
glacial ethanoic Solution of ethanoic
Solution of ethanoic Solution of
acid acid in water
water ethanoic acid in
acid in propanone

H+
HA HA HA
HA HA

HA A- HA

(HA represents ethanoic acid (A- represents ethanoatePropanone is an

molecule, CH3COOH)
No water. So, does not
show acidity because
no H+ ions
ion, CH3COO- ) organic solvent.
Show acidity because Acid do not
dissociate in organic
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acid dissociate in water solvent. So NO H+
to produce H+ ions ions produced
ROLE OF WATER & THE
PROPERTIES OF BASES
 Basesalso need water to show its basic
properties

 Bases in :
 dry condition or do not exhibit
 dissolved in organic solvents basic properties

A base needs water to produce OH- ions

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Responsible for basic properties
NOT ALL BASES ARE SOLUBLE IN WATER.
HOW THEY CAN SHOW BASIC PROPERTIES?

 Remember!! Look at the alternative definition of

a base:
 Insoluble base (insoluble metal hydroxide and
metal oxide ) reacts with an acid to form salt
and water .

 So, if you found that any insoluble metal oxide

OR insoluble metal hydroxide reacts with an
acid to form salt and water, SO…these insoluble
compounds must be BASES!! No doubt!
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Ionisation of acids and alkalis in
water produces free mobile
ions…

HENCE..

They are electrolyte!!! 

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 CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF ACIDS

Acid + base salt + water

H2SO4(aq) + ZnO(s) ZnSO4(aq) + H2O(l)

Acid + metal salt + hydrogen gas

2HCl(aq) + Mg(s) MgCl2(aq) + H2(g)

Acid + carbonate salt + water + carbon dioxide

2HNO3(aq) + CuCO3(s) Cu(NO3)2(aq) + H2O(l) + CO19

2(g)
 CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF ALKALIS

Alkali + acid salt + water

NaOH(aq) + HCl(s) NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)

Alkali + metal ion insoluble metal hydroxide

2OH- (aq) + Cu2+(aq) Cu(OH)2(s)

(blue precipitate)

Alkali + ammonium salt salt + water + ammonia gas

NaOH(aq) + NH4Cl(aq) NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) + NH3(g) 20

 THE STRENGTH OF ACIDS
AND ALKALI

pH values < 7 : acidic solution

pH values = 7 : neutral solution

pH values > 7 : alkaline solution

Lower pH values : higher concentration of H+ ions

Higher pH values : lower concentration of OH-

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ions
Concentration of OH- ions INCREASES

Concentration of H+ ions INCREASES

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 STRONG AND
WEAK ACID
Strength of an acid depends on the degree of ionisation/dissociation
of acid in water.
Acid that ionises completely
STRONG ACID in water.
e.g : HCl, H2SO4

e.g : HCl (aq) → H+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)

Acid that partially ionises in

WEAK ACID water.
e.g : CH3COOH

e.g : CH3COOH (aq) ↔ CH3COO-(aq) + H + (aq) 23

 STRONG AND
WEAK ALKALI
Strength of an ALKALI depends on the degree of
ionisation/dissociation of ALKALI in water.
ALKALI that ionises
STRONG
completely in water.
ALKALI
e.g : NaOH

e.g : NaOH(aq) → Na+ (aq) + OH- (aq)

ALKALI that partially

WEAK
ionises in water.
ALKALI
e.g : Ammonia, NH3

e.g : NH3 (aq) + H2O (l) ↔ NH4+ (aq) + OH- (aq) 24