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Acid Base and Salt

Acids and bases are two special kinds of chemicals. Almost all liquids are either
acids or bases to some degree. Whether a liquid is an acid or base depends on
the type of ions in it. If it has a lot of hydrogen ions, then it is an acid. If it has a
lot of hydroxide ions, then it is a base

Acid

Most kids like you enjoy the sour taste of beverages like butter milk, lemon juice
and orange juice. Have you ever wondered what gives these beverages their
tangy taste? These liquids taste sour because they contain acids. The word acid
comes from the Latin word ‘acere’ which means ‘sour’. The acids found in the
liquids that we drink are natural acids.

Bases

Now, think about baking soda, the same white powder that your mother uses to
bake cakes for you. If you put it in your mouth, you will spit it out immediately as
it is bitter in taste. If you rub its solution between your fingers, it will feel soapy.
Substances like baking soda which have a bitter taste and have a soap-like
texture, are known as bases. A chemist named Svante Arrhenius was the first
person to define acids and bases, in 1887.

Indicators

Most liquids are either acidic or basic in nature. However, we cannot possibly
taste each and every substance to tell whether it is an acid or a base, can we?
So, we use special type of substances to find out whether a substance is acidic
or basic in nature. These substances are known as indicators.
Indicators change their colour when they are dipped into a solution containing an
acidic or a basic substance. Litmus, turmeric and China rose petals are some of
the naturally occurring indicators.
The most commonly used natural indicator is litmus. It is extracted from lichens.
It has a purple colour, but when an acidic solution touches it, it turns red and
when a basic solution touches it, it turns blue. Litmus is available in the market in
the form of a solution or paper strips.

pH Scale

Scientists use something called a pH scale to measure how acidic or basic a liquid
is. pH is a number from 0 to 14. From 0 to 7 are acids, with 0 being the
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strongest. From 7 to 14 are bases with 14 being the strongest base. If a liquid
has a pH of 7, it's neutral. This would be something like distilled water.

Acids
Substances with a pH of less than 7 are acids. The more strongly acidic the solution, the lower its pH
number. Acidic solutions turn blue litmus paper red. They turn universal indicator paper red if they
are strongly acidic, and orange or yellow if they are weakly acidic.

Bases
Substances that can react with acids and neutralise them to make a salt and water are called bases.
They are usually metal oxides or metal hydroxides. For example, copper oxide and sodium hydroxide
are bases.

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Properties of Acids Bases and Salts

Properties of Acids

 Acid is a compound which yields hydrogen ion (H+), when dissolved in water.
 Acid is sour to the taste and corrosive in nature. The pH value for acids is less than 7.
 Generally, all acids readily react with metal to release hydrogen gas. For example, metal zinc
reacts with hydrochloric acid to form zinc chloride and hydrogen gas.
 Acids react with limestone (CaCO3) to produce carbon dioxide. For example, hydrochloric acid
reacts with limestone to produce carbonic acid and calcium chloride.
 Acids can be classified into organic and inorganic acids. Acetic acid (CH3COOH) is the best
example of organic acid, and acids produced from minerals are termed as inorganic acids like
sulfuric acid (H2SO4), hydrochloric acid (HCl).
 Acid converts blue litmus paper to red in color.
 Acids have a tendency to corrode metal surfaces quickly.
 Phenolphthalein solution is colorless in an acidic solution and turns methyl orange
solution to red. Red cabbage juice which is purple in color changes to red in an acidic
medium.

On the basis of number of hydrogen ion, acids can be classified as

1. Monoprotic acid – Such type of acids produce one mole of H+ ions per mole of acid, e.g., HCl
, HNO3.
2. Diprotic acid – They can produce two moles of H+ ions per mole of acid, e.g., H2SO4.
3. Triprotic acid – They produce three moles of H+ ions per mole of acid, e.g., H3PO4.
4. Polyprotic – They can produce more than three H+ ion per mole of acid.

On the basis of strengths or capacity to donate hydrogen ions, acids can be described as:

 Strong acids: Which are completely (100%) ionized in aqueous solutions. Hence at
equilibrium, the concentration of acid molecules is very less and concentration of hydrogen ion
reaches to maximum, e.g., HCl, HNO3, HClO4.

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 Weak acids: They are only partially ionized in solution at equilibrium state. At equilibrium
state, acid molecules are present and the concentration of hydrogen ion is less, e.g., HF,
CH3COOH.

Properties of bases

 Bases are compounds which yield hydroxide ion (OH-), when dissolved in water.
 Bases are bitter to taste and corrosive in nature. They feel slippery and soapy.
 Bases are good conductor of electricity and show a pH value of more than 7.
 Bases react with oils and grease to form soap molecules.
 Bases convert red litmus paper to blue in color.
 Bases also have the tendency to corrode metal surfaces.
 A reaction between a base and a metal is similar as for acid to form salt and release
hydrogen gas. But this reaction can only occur when a metal is strong enough to
displace another metal from its parent constituent.

2NaOH + Zn →Na2ZnO2 + H2

 Phenolphthalein solution turns pink in color in a basic solution. Bases turn methyl orange to
yellow. Red cabbage juice which is purple in color changes to yellow in a basic medium.

Strength of bases

 Strong bases: They are completely ionized in water to produce hydroxide ions

e.g, sodium hydroxide: NaOH(s) ⇌ Na+(aq) + OH-(aq)

 Weak bases: Partially ionize and equilibrium lies mostly towards reactants side

e.g., ammonia in water: NH3(aq) + H2O(l) ⇌ NH4+(aq) + OH-(aq)

On the basis of the number of hydroxide groups present in a base, they can be classified as monobasic
- - -
(one OH ), dibasic (two OH ), tribasic (three OH ) bases and so on.

Arrhenius concept of Acid and bases

Arrhenius concept is the oldest concept to explain acids and bases. According to this concept.

 An acid is a hydrogen containing compound which can give hydrogen ion (H+) in aqueous
solution. For example, Hydrochloric acid (HCl) gives H+ ion in its aqueous solution.

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Such types of acids are called Arrhenius acids, like nitric acid (HNO3), acetic acid (CH3COOH). Base is
also a hydrogen containing compound, which can give hydroxide ion (OH-) in an aqueous solution. For
example, Sodium hydroxide in water form sodium ion (Na+ ) and hydroxide ion (OH-). Such type of
bases are known as Arrhenius bases. Other example of Arrhenius base are ammonium hydroxide
(NH4OH), aluminium hydroxide (Al(OH)3) and magnesium hydroxide(Mg(OH)2).

Properties of salts

 Salts form by the combination of acid and base through neutralization reaction.
 The acidic and basic nature of salts depends on the acid and base combined in
neutralization reaction.

Acid Base Salt Example

Strong Strong Neutral NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H2O

Strong Weak Acidic HCl + NH4OH → NH4Cl + H2O

Weak Strong Basic CH3COOH + NaOH → CH3COONa + H2O

Weak Weak Neutral CH3COOH + NH4OH → CH3COONH4 + H2O

The most common salt is sodium chloride or table salt which forms by the combination of
sodium hydroxide (base) and hydrochloric acid. Other examples include Epsom
salts(MgSO4) used in bath salts, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) used as fertilizer, and baking
soda (NaHCO3) used in cooking.

The pH of a salt solution depends on the strength of acids and bases combined in the
neutralization reaction.

Acid Base Salt pH

strong strong pH=7

weak strong pH>7

strong weak pH<7

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weak weak depends on which is stronger

Is Salt An Acid or A Base?

Acids form hydrogen ions (H+) in aqueous solution. In place of hydrogen ions, it’s better to
write hydronium ions (H3O+) which form due to reaction of H+ with water. For example,
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) in water.

HCl + H2O → H3O+ + Cl-

At the same time bases are the substances that produce hydroxide ion OH- in water. Acids
and bases react with one another to yield two products: water, and an ionic compound
known as salt. The reaction is called as neutralization reaction.
+ –
NaOH + HCl → H2O + Na Cl

Neutralization reactions are always exothermic in nature, which means they liberate the
same amount of heat. This amount is fixed for any acid and base that is 57.7kJ per mole of
H+. For any acid and base combination the net reaction is
+ -
H (aq) + OH (aq) → H2O

Because salt produced in neutralization reaction is ionic in nature and exists in the form of
ions just before the reaction. Hence salts are the main products of a neutralization
reaction.

Formation of Ammonium Ion

When ammonia is dissolved in water it forms ammonium ions (NH4+) and hydroxyl (OH-)
ions by the formation of a co-ordinate covalent bond.

This can be shown as follows.

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Bases and acids neutralize each other, therefore, another way to define a base is, "a
compound which reacts with an acid to give salt and water only." Like acids, alkalis
can be strong or weak. The more hydroxide ions they produce, the stronger the alkali is.
The acidic property of an acid is due to the presence of hydrogen ions (H+) while that of a
base or alkali is due to the presence of hydroxyl (OH-) ions in them.When strong acids and
bases (alkali) combine, the positively charged hydrogen ion of the acid combines with the
negatively charged hydroxyl ion of the base to form a molecule of water. Hence, the water
molecule formed does not have any charge because the positive and negative charges of
the hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions get neutralized.
+ -
H (aq) + OH (aq) → H2O(l)

Neutralization can be viewed as a reaction in which an acid combines with a base,

neutralizing the positively charged hydrogen ion and the negatively charged hydroxyl ion, to
form a molecule of water and the respective salt.

Addition of Acids or Bases to Water

The process of dissolving an acid or a base in water is a highly exothermic one. As this
reaction generates a lot of heat, care must be taken while mixing concentrated acids with
water, specially nitric acid or sulfuric acid with water.

As a rule: The acid must be added slowly to the water with constant stirring. If one mixes
the other way by adding water to a concentrated acid, the heat generated causes the
mixture to splash out and cause burns.

The glass container may also break due to excessive local heating and cause damages
Mixing an acid or base with water results in dilution. It decreases the concentration of ions

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(H3O+/OH-) per unit volume thereby dissipating the heat effect easily. The list of acids and
bases are shown below. Naming of acids and bases is done in the acid base scale.

List of Acids Bases and Salts

These are some examples of acids and bases:

Example of Molecular Molecular Examples of Molecular

Examples of base
acid formula formula salts formula

Lithium Sodium
H2SO4 Sulphuric acid LiOH NaCl
hydroxide chloride

Sodium Ammonium
HI Hydroiodic acid NaOH NH4Cl
hydroxide chloride

Potassium Ammonium
HBr Hydrobromic KOH CH3COONH4
hydroxide acetate
acid

Rubidium Copper
HNO3 Nitric acid RbOH CuSO4
hydroxide sulphate

Barium Magnesium
HF Hydrofluoric acid Ba(OH)2 MgSO4
hydroxide sulphate

Hydrochloric Calcium Sodium

HCl Ca(OH)2 Na2SO4
acid hydroxide sulphate

Ammonium Sodium
HClO4 Perchloric acid NH4OH Na2CO3
hydroxide carbonate

Strontium Sodium
CH3COOH Acetic acid Sr(OH)2 NaHCO3
hydroxide bicarbonate

Ferrous Hydroxide or Calcium

H2CO3 Carbonic acid Fe(OH)2 CaCO3
Iron (II) Hydroxide carbonate

Hydrosulphuric Ferric Hydroxide or Potassium

H2S Fe(OH)3 K2CO3
acid Iron (III) Hydroxide carbonate

H2SO3 Zinc Hydroxide Zn(OH)2 K2SO4

Sulphurous Potassium

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Acid sulphate

Phosphoric Calcium
H3PO4 Caesium hydroxide CsOH CaCl2
Acid chloride

Phosphorous Potassium
H3PO3 KCl
Acid chloride

Oxalic Acid H2C2O4 ZnCl2 Zinc chloride

Boric Acid H3BO3 AgCl Silver chloride

Silicic Acid H2SiO3 AgBr Silver bromide

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Acid Rain

Rain is very important for life. All living things need water to live, even people.

Rain brings us the water we need. But in many places in the world even where you live, rain has
become a menace.

Because of pollution in the air, acid gases from factories, cars and homes, the rain is becoming
dangerous for the life of every living creature.

This rain is known as 'acid rain'.

WHAT IS ACID RAIN?

Acid gases are produced when fossil fuels like coal and oil are

burned in power stations, factories and in our own homes. Most of

these acid gases are blown into the sky, and when they mix with
the clouds it can cause rain - or snow, sleet, fog, mist or hail - to become more acidic.

Rain is naturally acidic, but acid gases make it even more acidic,
sometimes as acid as lemon!

Nature can also produce acid gases, such as volcanoes. When they erupt,
the smoke that comes out of the crater is also full of acid gases.

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WHAT ARE THE MAIN GASES THAT CAUSE

ACID RAIN?

When we burn fuels, chemicals called 'sulphur' and

'nitrogen' are released into the air. Once in the air,
they mix with water in the air - rain, snow, etc - and
are transformed into different chemicals called
'sulphur dioxide' and 'nitrogen oxides', which can be
very dangerous for plants, animals and people. Most of the 'sulphur'
comes from power stations, which make electricity, and also from
volcanoes. Most of the 'nitrogen oxides' come from car and truck
exhausts.

We call 'air pollution' the bad gases that we produce and release in
the air. 'Sulphur dioxide' and 'nitrogen oxides' are the most
important causes of acid rain.

A PROBLEM ALL OVER THE WORLD

Air pollution can be carried over long distances. When acid gases are
released, they go high up in the sky, and then they are pushed by
strong winds towards other countries.

The acid rain in Sweden is caused by

air pollution in Britain and other countries of Europe. The pollution

produced in Britain ends up mostly in Scandinavia - countries in

northern Europe including Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

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In the USA, the winds blow the air pollution to certain areas in Canada.

HOW BAD IS ACID RAIN?

When rain is acidic, it affects what it falls on: trees, lakes, buildings and
farmland. Sometimes rain is not ve
very acidic and does not cause a lot of
problems, but when it is acidic, it can be very harmful to the
environment.

TREES AND PLANTS

Acid rain can have terrible effects on a forest. The acid takes away important
minerals from the leaves and the soil.

Minerals
ls are like vitamins for trees and plants. Without them, trees and plants
cannot grow properly. They lose their leaves and become very weak. They are
no longer strong enough to fight against illnesses and frost. They become very
ill and can even die.

Some soils are alkaline, when acid rain falls on them the acid becomes neutral. Plants and trees living
on these soils are not in any big danger..

LAKES AND WATER LIFE

Acid rain has a terrible effect on water life. Even if the acid rain does not
fall straight into the lake, for example, it may enter from rivers and
streams. Some of the life in the lake such as fish and plants may end up
dying, because they cannot survive in acidic lakes.

Thousands of lakes in Scandinavia have no more life in them. They have

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received
eived so much acid rain for so many years, because of the winds pushing the acid gases, that
nothing can survive.

You can recognise a lake dead from acid rain by its clean and crystal clear water. But they look clean
because there is very little living in them anymore. Tiny plants and animals are mostly unable to
survive..

OUR HEALTH

Particulates - very small particles of debris found in some of the air pollution -
are one of the main causes of health problems. In towns and cities, these are
released mainly by diesel engines from cars and trucks.

When we breathe in air pollution, these very fine particulates can easily enter
our body,
ody, where they can cause breathing problems, and over time even cause
cancer.

Water we drink from taps can be contaminated by acid ra

rain,
in, which can damage the brain.

BUILDINGS

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Acid rain can also ruin buildings because the acid eats into metal and stone.

It also damages stained glass and plastics. Some types of building materials

are softer than others, and it is the softer ones which are most affected by

acid rain. Sandstone and limestone are examples of stone which are fairly

soft and are damaged easily. Granite is an example of a harder stone that
can resist the effects of acid rain.

In many places in the world, ancient and famous buildings and monuments are

affected by acid rain. For example, the Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, has had to
be restored because of acid rain damage.

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