ACID, BASES AND SALTS

ACID
Is a substance that dissolves in water to produce hydrogen ions
Example; HCl H+ +Cl-
Nearly all foods contain water and nutrients. All water is in the form of molecules with a small
number of molecules being in ion form.
H2O H+ + OH-
Ions are either positively or negatively charged molecules. Negatively charged ions are referred
to as anions while positively charged ions are cations.
Examples of anions: OH-
Cl-
Examples of cations: H+, Na+, K+
Pure water has the no. of hydrogen ions equal to the number of hydroxyl ions therefore pure
water is neutral meaning it’s neither acidic nor alkaline. When substances are dissolved in water
the ration of hydrogen to hydroxyl ions may be interfered with. The number of hydrogen ions is
higher than the number of hydroxyl ions then the solution is said to be acidic. And if the
hydroxyl ions are more than hydrogen ions then the solution is said to be basic.
There are two types of acids:

 Strong acid
 Weak acid
Ionization refers to the dissociation (splitting) of atoms or molecules into either positively or
negatively charged. Strong acids ionizes (forms ions) completely e.g. HCl while weak acids
ionizes partially e.g. acetic acid.
Properties of acids

 Have a sour taste e.g. lemon

 The PH of acid is between 0-7
 They turn blue litmus paper red
 Concentrated acids are corrosive and may damage the skin and clothing e.g. HCl
 An acid reacts with carbonates or hydrogen carbonates to produce co2.
Inorganic acids
These are strong acids made of elements excluding carbon and useful as lab reagents examples:
HCl, sulphuric H2SO4, nitric acid (HNO3)
Organic acid
Are weak acids made of compounds that contain carbon and are mainly found in foods e.g.

 Citric acids found in citrus fruits

 Lactic acid found in sour milk
 Acetic acid found in vinegar
 Ascorbic acid found in fresh fruits and vegetables
 Malic acid found in apples and cherries
BASES/ALKALINES
They are substances which dissolve in water to produce hydroxyl ions. They are oxide or
hydroxides of metals e.g. sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
NaOH Na+ +OH-
Properties of alkaline

 They have a bitter taste when dissolved in water

 They turn red litmus paper blue
 They have a PH value of 7-14
 It has a soapy feel
 The concentrated solutions of alkaline are corrosive
Neutralization is the reaction between an acid and a base to produce salt and water only
Acid + base salt + water
HCl +NaOH NaCl- +H2O
Vinegar can be used for rinsing woolen clothes after they have been washed in soap because the
acid in vinegar neutralizes the alkaline soap solution which can damage the wool.
SALTS
Are ionic compound which can be produced by neutralization by the reaction between a metal
and an acid
Metal + acid salt + hydrogen
Example
Zinc +sulphuric acid zinc sulphate + hydrogen
Zn +H2SO4 ZnSO4 +H2
If an ion containing more than one hydrogen ion is not completely neutralized an acid salt is
produced.
Example;
H2SO4 + NaOH NaHSO4 + H2O
Sulphuric acid + sodium hydroxide sodium hydrogen + water
Properties of salts

 Have high melting point and can be obtained as crystalline solids

 Salts in solution in water usually have a PH of 7, however it’s not usually the case
 If a salt is formed from a strong alkali and weak acid the solution will be alkaline
 Sodium carbonate is formed from sodium hydroxide a strong alkali and carbonic acid, a
weak acid and therefore sodium carbonate is alkaline in solution.
PH SCALE
PH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It indicates the degree of alkalinity or
acidity in a substance. The higher the PH the greater the concentration of alkali while the lower
the PH value. It is a term derived from the concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution.
Change towards lower numbers indicates the solution is strongly acidic whereas change towards
the higher numbers shows the solution is strongly alkaline.
0 7 14
Increasing acidity neutralincreasing alkalinity