Acids, bases and mixtures

Students should be able to do the following:

1. Discuss the uses of some common household chemicals- chemical and trade names; water as
the most common chemical in the home; water as a solvent used in many household chemicals.
Safety symbols- corrosive, toxic, flammable, explosive.
2. Distinguish among acids, bases and salts- the concept of Ph. Classification of household
chemicals into acids, bases and salts.
Principle of neutralization.
3. Distinguish among solutions, suspensions and colloids- Classification of household chemicals in
each category.
4. Describe separation techniques- aqueous and non- aqueous solutions. (a) Distillation, (b)
Filtration, (c) Chromatography.
5. Discuss the safe and economic use of some common household chemicals- the action of
disinfectants, antiseptics, deodorisers, household bleach, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar.
6. Explain the cleaning actions of scouring powders and detergents on household appliances-
constituents of scouring powders and detergents, rust removers, oxidizing agents. Appliances
made from Al, Cu, Fe, Sn, Ag, Zn.
7. Distinguish between hard and soft water and- advantages and disadvantages of hard and soft
water.
8. Distinguish between soapy (soap) and soapless detergents- mode of cleaning, the effects of
detergents on the environment, biodegradable and non- biodegradable detergents, oxidizing
agents used in laundering.

1. What are the uses of some common household chemicals?

Soaps, detergents and washing powders, disinfectants and personal hygiene products are some
chemical substance used in the home

Soaps remove dirt from our bodieS

Washing powders or detergents- remove dirt and stains from clothing

Cleaning chemicals- are solutions or suspensions containing detergents and other chemicals which are
used to remove stains and grease. Some contain fine particles which act as an abrasive when rubbed on
with a cloth

Disinfectants kill off germs in our home

Antiseptic are chemicals which prevent wounds from becoming infected by killing any germs present but
without damaging the skin further. E.g. Savlon and germolene

Antiperspirants reduce the amount of perspiration so less urea is released from areas such as the
armpits.

Deodorants help to mask any remaining odour so a person remains smelling fresh

Hair shampoos contain mild detergents which remove oil from the hair and clean the scalp.

Conditioner replaces some of the natural oils removed by shampooing and leaves the hair looking and
feeling good.

2. What are some chemical and trade names for chemical substances that are used in the home?

The table below shows some chemical substances that we use in our homes and their functions

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Household name Chemical name Uses

Washing soda Sodium carbonate Soaps, cleaners

Caustic soda Sodium hydroxide Drain cleaners, oil remover

Toothpaste Sodium monofluorophosphate Prevents tooth decay

Tums/Andrews Sodium hydrogencarbonate and Treatment of indigestion

citric acid

Milk of magnesia Magnesium hydroxide Treatment of indigestion

Vinegar Acetic acid solution Cooking, pickling, treating some

insect stings

Baking powder Sodium hydrogencarbonate + Raising agent in baking

cream of tartar

Epsom salts Magnesium sulphate Laxative

Alum Sodium aluminium sulphate Water purification

Baking soda Sodium hydrogen carbonate or Raising agent in baking, antacid,

sodium bicarbonate treating some insect bites,
cleaning agent

Savlon Chlorhexidine gluconate and Disinfectant with antibacterial

cetrimide action

Scouring powders Ash or calcite Used for stain removal

Window cleaner ethanol Used to clean glass windows

3. What are some common safety symbols found in the lab?

Corrosive, toxic, flammable and explosive.

4. What are some methods for removing some stains.

stain Method of removal

acidic Neutralize stain weak alkali such as sodium

hydrogencarbonate

basic Neutralize stain weak acid such as borax

grease Window cleaner grease dissolve in ethanol

component of cleaner.

Splashes of gloss paint Rubbed in cloth soaked turpentine or white

spirit. Paint passes into the solvent and
absorbed into the cloth

Dry nail vanish Removed from finger nails by rubbing cotton

wool soaked in propanone. Nail varnish is
absorbed into the cotton wool.

grass Clothing soaked in ethanol before washing

blood Soak in cold water then wash in warm water

with detergent

Coffee/tea Pour boiling water on the stain and use a

biological detergent. Alternatively dab with
dilute hydrogen peroxide

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 ink Inks that are soluble in water can be removed
from clothing by soaking the item in milk.
Ethanedoic acid and methanol can also be
dabbed on the stain.

Iron rust This is an iron oxide, a base, so use an acid: lemon

juice(citric acid) or tartaric acid

Nail polish Does not dissolve in water: use propanone

(acetone)

Mildew or tobacco Use a bleach: hydrogen peroxide or a chlorine

bleach such as sodium hypochlorite

Toilet bowl These stains are usually alkaline: use an acidic

material such as sodium hydrogen sulphate

5. What is an acid and give the properties of an acid?

Acids are chemicals that release hydrogen ions (charged particles) when dissolved in water. Acids have
the following properties:

 They have a sour taste. DO NOT EVER TASTE ACIDS IN THE LAB

 Some are harmful and corrosive

 They turn blue litmus paper red

 They react with bases or alkalis to form salts

 They release hydrogen ions when they are dissolved in water

6. What are some examples of some acids?

Hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and sulphuric acid are strong acids

7. What are bases and give the properties of bases?

A base reacts with an acid to form a salt. Any base that dissolves in water is called an alkali. Bases have
the following properties:

 They are soapy when touched

 They turn red litmus paper blue

 They react with acids to form salts. This is called a neutralization reaction.

8. Give some examples of some bases

Sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are strong alkalis.

9. What is pH? What do the numbers on a pH scale indicate?

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pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution/ substance is. On the pH scale a value of 7 is neutral
so it is neither acidic nor alkaline. Values below 7 on the scale become increasingly acid while values
above 7 become increasingly alkaline.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Strong weak weak strong

acids acids neutral alkalis alkalis

alkaline a substance is

10. What are indicators?

Indicators are useful for testing whether a solution is acidic or alkaline but they do not always indicate
how acidic or how alkaline it is. In order to do this we need a pH scale.

11. What is litmus paper?

Litmus paper is used to test whether a solution is acidic or alkaline

12. What colour does blue litmus paper turn in the presence of an acid, and red litmus paper in the
presence of an alkali.

Blue litmus paper turns red in the presence of acids. Red litmus paper turns blue in the presence of an
alkali.

13. What is the difference between using litmus paper and indicators ?

Litmus paper does not indicate how acidic or alkaline the substance. Indicators change specific colours
with a pH value in the presence of an acidic or basic substance. Hence it tells how how acidic or basic the
substance is.

14. What is the a universal indicators and what does it do?

Universal indicator is, in fact, a mixture of several indicators. It has the advantage over other indicators of
changing colour several times over the full pH scale

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Red orange yellow green blue violet

The figure above shows the range of colours in universal indicator.

Universal indicator shows not only whether a solution is acidic or alkaline but also how acidic or how
alkaline.

15. What is a salt?

Acids react with bases to form salts and water only. This is described as a neutralization reaction since
the acid and the base react together to produce water.

Acid + Base Salt + water

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A neutralization reaction

16. Give the names of some common household chemicals that are salts

sodium chloride, sodium hydrogencarbonate, magnesium sulphate.

17. What is a solution?

Is made up of a solute (solid) and a solvent (liquid)

Solute + solvent = solution

18. What is an aqueous solution and a non- aqueous solution?

Aqueous solution water is the solvent. Non- aqueous solution water is not the solvent, other solvents
are used to make the solution.

19. What is a suspension?

The particles settle out at the bottom of the mixture if left to stand eg chalk and water, sand and water.

Brown sauce and tomato ketchup are suspensions. Left undisturded for too long the particles would
begin to fall to the bottom so we must shake them before use.

Many sauces are suspensions of particles in vinegar

20. What is a colloid?

Particles are very small and are spread out or dispersed in another forming a colloid. The particles do not
separate out on standing.

Colloids are not just solid particles dispersed in liquids. There are a number of other types of colloids
formed by solids, liquids and gases. An aerosol is a colloid in which a liquid or a solid is dispersed in a gas.
When we press the top of the can, particles of the liquid or solid are carried on a stream of gas.

Toothpaste is a colloid in which a solid is dispersed in a liquid

21. What is an emulsion?

In an emulsion, a colloid is formed by one liquid becoming dispersed in another. Milk is an emulsion in
which oil is dispersed in water

Cream topping is a liquid foam. This a colloid in which a gas is dispersed in a liquid.

22. What is a mixture?

Mixture contains two or more substances that are not chemically joined together.
The different substances/components in the mixture can easily be separated from one another
by physical methods.
The physical/separation method or separation technique used depends on the physical
properties( solubility, magnetism, density etc…) of the different components of the mixture.

23. What is filtration?

Used to separate an insoluble solid (sand) from a liquid (water). Residue (sand) is collected on
the filter paper and the filtrate (water) collected in the flask.

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 FILTRATION

24. What is simple distillation?

Is used to separate a pure liquid (water) from a solid- liquid solution. E.g. pure water can be
distilled from sea water, soft drinks etc.

SIMPLE DISTILLATION

25. What is fractional distillation?

Used to separate miscible liquids (liquids that mix) with different boiling points. Liquids with
lower boiling points will vapourize (evaporate) first
Eg to separate alcohol (boiling point 788̊˚C and water (boiling point 1008̊˚C)

SIMPLE DISTILLATION

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e.g. Fractional distillation of crude oil

26. What is chromatography?

Is used to separate the different components in a liquid mixture. Example to separate the
different colored components that make up black ink

Different colours that make up black ink

27. What is scouring?

Removes stains by a combination of physical and chemical action.

28. What are scouring powders and how do they work in removing a stain?

Contain a finely ground up powder of insoluble ash or calcite, mixed with water to make a thick
paste. Also contain detergents (remove dirt and grease), bleaching agent (bleaches stain and
disinfects surface), and perfume (pleasant odour). When rubbed unto the surface to be cleaned,
it acts as an abrasive, removing any solid matter present.

29. What are soapy and soapless detergents?

Soapy detergents (soaps) Soapless detergents (detergents or synthetic

detergents)

Made by heating animal fats or vegetable oils Made from petroleum products
with a strong alkali

Form scum in hard water

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 Advantages: Advantages:

. made from natural oils so less chance of skin . more effective cleaning agents
irritation and allergies
. less wastage
. environmentally friendly as they are broken
down into harmless substances, they are . cheaper to make
biodegradable

Disadvantages: Disadvantages:

. not as effective as soapless detergents . can cause allergies

. more wastage . non- biodegradable, form foam in water

sources, can cause chemical pollution.
. more expensive to make

30. What is hard and soft water?

Hard water contains dissolved calcium (calcium hydrogen carbonate, calcium sulphate) and
magnesium ions. It does not form a lather easily, if a lather does form it does not last long and it
reacts with soap to form scum (precipitate). Only when all of the ions are removed from the
water will the soap lather and effectively removes the dirt.

Soft water contains very litter or no calcium and magnesium ions. It forms a lather easily which
lasts for quite a while and it does not form scum.

31. How can hard water become soft?

Heating the water containing calcium hydrogencarbonate (soluble) forms calcium carbonate
(insoluble) which deposits at bottom of pots kettle. Calcium sulphate does not decompose
(breakdown) on heating but it can be removed by adding sodium carbonate in the form of
washing soda.

END OF ACIDS BASES AND