AMU CITY SCHOOL

ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY, ALIGARH

CLASS –VII SUBJECT: SCIENCE

CHAPTER - 5 ACIDS, BASES AND SALTS

INTRODUCTION: In our daily life, we use a large number of edible
substances such as lemon, baking soda, tamarind, common salt, sugar, curd
and vinegar. Some of these substances taste sour, some taste bitter, some taste
sweet and some taste salty. Acids, bases and salts are the three important
groups of chemical substances that are used by us in different ways. Some of
the acids, bases and salts occur in nature and they can be made artificially.
SOME EDIBLE SUBSTANCES AND THEIR TASTES:
Substance Taste (Sour/Bitter/Any other)
Lemon Juice Sour
Orange Juice Sour
Vinegar Sour
Curd Sour
Tamarind(Imli) Sour
Sugar Sweet
Common Salt Salty
Amla Sour
Baking Soda Bitter
Grapes Sweet/Sour
Unripe Mango Sour

ACIDS AND BASES: Curd, lemon juice, orange juice and vinegar taste
sour. These substances taste sour because they contain acids. The chemical
nature of such substances is acidic. The word acid comes from the Latin word
acere which means sour. The acids in these substances are natural acids.

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 1

However, there are other substances like baking soda it does not taste sour. It
means that it has no acids in it. It is bitter in taste. If you rub its solution
between fingers, it feels soapy. Substance like these which are bitter in taste
and feel soapy on touch are known as bases. The chemical nature of such
substances is said to be basic.
ACIDS AND THEIR SOURCES:

Name of Acid Found In

Acetic Acid Vinegar
Formic Acid Ant’s sting
Citric Acid Citrus fruits such as Oranges, Lemons etc.
Lactic Acid Curd
Oxalic Acid Spinach
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Amla, Citrus fruits
Tartaric Acid Tamarind, Grapes, unripe Mangoes etc.

All the acids mentioned above occur in nature.

BASES AND THEIR SOURCES:

Name of Base Found in
Calcium Hydroxide Lime Water
Ammonium Hydroxide Window Cleaner
Sodium Hydroxide/Potassium Hydroxide Soap
Magnesium Hydroxide Milk of Magnesia

Neutral Substance: Any substance which is neither acidic nor basic in

nature is called neutral substance.

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 2

INDICATORS: We cannot taste every substance to find its nature.
Therefore, special types of substances are used to test whether a substance is
acidic or basic. These substances are known as indicators. The indicators
change their colour when added to a solution containing an acidic or a basic
substance. Two types of indicators are used – natural and artificial.
NATURAL INDICATORS:
An indicator prepared from natural substances is known as natural indicator.
For examples: Litmus, Turmeric, China rose petals (Gudhal), Snowball plant,
Red Cabbage etc. (see figures given below)

Red litmus paper Blue litmus paper

Turmeric (Haldi) China rose (Gudhal)

Snowball plant Red Cabbage

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 3

SYNTHETIC INDICATORS:
An indicator prepared from artificial substances is known as synthetic
indicator. For examples: Phenolphthalein, Methyl Orange etc. (You will study
about these indicators in detail in higher classes)

Phenolphthalein Methyl Orange

Phenolphthalein is often used as an indicator in acid–base titrations. For this
application, it turns colorless in acidic solutions and pink in basic solutions.
Note: You will study about titration in higher classes.
NATURAL INDICATORS AROUND US:
LITMUS: A NATURAL DYE
The most commonly used natural indicator is litmus. It is extracted from
lichens. It has a mauve (purple) colour in distilled water. When added to an
acidic solution, it turns red and when added to a basic (alkali) solution, it turns
blue (see figure given below). It is available in the form of a solution, or in the
form of strips of paper known as litmus paper. Generally, it is available as red
and blue litmus paper (see figure given above).

Lichens Litmus

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 4

(1) Red litmus turns blue indicating a basic solution.
(2) Blue litmus turns red indicating an acidic solution.

Testing Solutions with Litmus Paper

Neutral solutions: The solutions which do not change the colour of either
red or blue litmus are known as neutral solutions. These substances are neither
acidic nor basic. For example: Water, Solution of Common Salt (NaCl), Sugar
Solution, Cooking Oil etc.

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 5

TURMERIC IS ANOTHER NATURAL INDICATOR: Turmeric is a
bright yellow powder obtained from a plant. It is called ‘Haldi’ in Hindi.
Turmeric contains a yellow dye. Turmeric turns red in basic solution. (see
figure given below) Turmeric remains yellow in acid and neutral substances
but turns bright red with bases.

 To use turmeric as an indicator it is generally mixed with water to form a

paste which is then put on blotting paper and dried to form thin strips of
turmeric paper.
 The turmeric paper is then put into the solutions in order to determine their
acidity or alkaline nature.
 Sometimes turmeric solution is also used as an indicator.

A turmeric stain on white shirt is turned to red when it is washed with

soap. It is because the soap solution is basic.

Turmeric paste (yellow) + Soap solution = Turmeric turns to red

Turmeric turns red with base

Testing Substances with Turmeric Solution

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 6

CHINA ROSE AS AN INDICATOR: China rose is a natural indicator. It
is called ‘Gudhal’ in Hindi. It is extracted from the red flowers of China rose
plant with water. China rose petals are kept in warm water and a coloured
solution is obtained from that. This coloured solution is used as an indicator
to test other substances.

China rose (Gudhal)

Testing solutions with China rose

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 7

 Some acids/bases and their effect on colour of different indicators
S.No. Name of Acid/Base Effect on litmus Effect on Effect on
paper turmeric China rose
paper solution
1. Blue litmus paper Turns dark
Hydrochloric acid No change
turns red pink
2. Blue litmus paper Turns dark
Sulphuric acid No change
turns red pink
3. Blue litmus paper Turns dark
Nitric acid No change
turns red pink
4. Blue litmus paper Turns dark
Acetic acid No change
turns red pink
5. Red litmus paper turns
Sodium hydroxide Turns red Turns green
blue
6. Ammonium Red litmus paper turns
Turns red Turns green
hydroxide blue
7. Red litmus paper turns
Calcium hydroxide Turns red Turns green
blue

ACID RAIN: The rain containing excess of acids is called an acid rain. The
rain becomes acidic because carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
dioxide (which are released into the air as pollutants) dissolve in rain drops to
form Carbonic acid, Sulphuric acid and Nitric acid respectively. Acid rain can
cause damage to buildings, historical monuments, plants and animals.
NEUTRALISATION: The reaction between an acid and a base is
known as neutralisation. Salt and water are produced in this process with the
evolution of heat. In this reaction, the acidic and basic nature of the acid and
base respectively are destroyed. In reaction salt formed may be acidic, basic or
neutral in nature.
Acid + Base → Salt + Water + Heat
For example:

HCl + NaOH → NaCl(salt) + H2O + Heat

Hydrochloric acid Sodium Hydroxide Sodium chloride Water

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 8

NEUTRALISATIONS IN EVERYDAY LIFE:
INDIGESTION:
Our stomach contains hydrochloric acid. It helps us to digest food. But too
much of acid in the stomach causes indigestion. Sometimes indigestion is
painful. To relieve indigestion, we take an antacid such as milk of magnesia,
which contains magnesium hydroxide. It neutralises the effect of excessive
acid.
ANT STING:
The sting of an ant contains formic acid. When an ant bites, it injects the
acidic liquid into the skin. The effect of the sting can be neutralised by
rubbing moist baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate) or calamine solution,
which contains zinc carbonate.
SOIL TREATMENT:
Excessive use of chemical fertilisers makes the soil acidic. Plants do not grow
well when the soil is either too acidic or too basic. When the soil is too acidic,
it is treated with bases like quick lime (calcium oxide) or slaked lime (calcium
hydroxide). If the soil is basic, organic matter is added to it. Organic matter
releases acids which neutralises the basic nature of the soil.
FACTORY WASTES:
The wastes of many factories contain acids. If they are allowed to flow into
the water bodies, the acids will kill fish and other organisms. The factory
wastes are, therefore, neutralised by adding basic substances.
***************

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 9

 NCERT ANSWERS/HINTS
Q. 1. State differences between acids and bases.
Answer: Differences between acids and bases.
Acids Bases
Acids are sour in taste Bases are bitter in taste
Acids turn blue litmus paper into red The base does not change the
color colour of blue litmus paper
Acids does not change the colour of Bases turn red litmus paper to blue
the red litmus color
Acids do not change the colour of Bases turn turmeric to red
turmeric

Q. 2. Ammonia is found in many household products, such as window

cleaners. It turns red litmus blue. What is its nature?
Answer: Ammonia is basic in nature as it turns red litmus paper to blue.
Q. 3. Name the source from which litmus solution is obtained. What is
the use of this solution?
Answer: Litmus solution is obtained from lichens. A natural dye
extracted from lichens is dissolved in distilled water to obtain litmus
solution. It is used as an indicator to find acidic and basic nature of a solution.

Solution Colour of litmus solution

Acidic Red

Basic Blue

Neutral No change

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 10

Q.4. Is the distilled water acidic/basic/neutral? How would you verify it?

Answer: Distilled water is neutral in nature and this can be verified by

using red and blue litmus papers. In either of the cases, colour remains
unchanged. This proves that distilled water is neutral.

Q.5. Describe the process of neutralisation with the help of an example.

Answer: Do yourself
Q.6. Mark ‘T’ if the statement is true and ‘F’ if it is false:
(i) Nitric acid turns red litmus blue. (T/F)
(ii) Sodium hydroxide turns blue litmus red. (T/F)
(iii) Sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid neutralise each other and
form salt and water. (T/F)
(iv) Indicator is a substance which shows different colours in acidic and
basic solutions. (T/F)
(v) Tooth decay is caused by the presence of a base. (T/F)

Answer: (i) F (ii) F (iii) T (iv) T (v) F

Q.7. Dorji has a few bottles of soft drink in his restaurant. But,
unfortunately, these are not labelled. He has to serve the drinks on the
demand of customers. One customer wants acidic drink; another wants
basic and third one wants neutral drink. How will Dorji decide which
drink is to be served to whom?

Answer: Since the drinks are edible, Dorji can take the decision by
tasting the drinks. Acidic drinks will be sour to taste whereas basic drinks
will be bitter to taste and neutral drinks will have no taste.

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 11

If Dorji has litmus indicator (solution or paper), then he can take its help.
He should put one drop of each drink on blue litmus paper. If the colour
of the litmus paper changes to red, then it is an acidic drink. Out of the
remaining drinks, some are basic and some are neutral. Again, he should
put one drop of the remaining drinks on red litmus paper. If the colour
changes to blue, then it is basic and the others are neutral. In this way, he
can serve all the three customers their respective drinks.

Q.8. Explain why:

(a) An antacid tablet is taken when you suffer from acidity.
(b) Calamine solution is applied on the skin when an ant bites.
(c) Factory waste is neutralised before disposing it into the water bodies.
Answer:
(a) The antacid tablet contains base like milk of magnesia which neutralises
the acid produced in the stomach. Hence, it is used while suffering from
acidity.
(b) When ant bites, it injects formic acid inside the skin. Calamine consists of
Zinc Carbonate which is basic in nature. Hence calamine neutralises the effect
of formic acid to bring relief for the affected person.
(c) Factory wastes are acidic in nature which may cause harm to the aquatic
life. Hence, they are neutralised by using a base before disposing it into the
water bodies.

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 12

Q.9. Three liquids are given to you. One is hydrochloric acid, another is
sodium hydroxide and third is a sugar solution. How will you identify
them? You have only turmeric indicator.

Answer: Following steps are taken to test the given liquids:

(i) We will put a drop of each liquid on turmeric indicator. The solution which
changes the colour of the indicator to red is basic in nature, i.e., it is sodium
hydroxide.

(ii) Now we will put a drop of sodium hydroxide on the other two liquids
separately to obtain two mixtures.

(iii) One by one we will put the drop of each mixture on turmeric indicator.
The mixture that changes the colour of indicator red contains neutral sugar
solution. While the mixture which does not show any colour change in
indicator contains hydrochloric acid which was neutralised on addition of
sodium hydroxide.

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 13

Q.10. Blue litmus paper is dipped in a solution. It remains blue. What is
the nature of the solution? Explain.

Answer: We know that basic and neutral solutions do not change the
colour of blue litmus paper. Since blue litmus remains blue after dipping
in the solution, the solution is either basic or neutral in nature.
Q.11. Consider the following statements:
(a) Both acids and bases change colour of all indicators.
(b) If an indicator gives a colour change with an acid, it does not give a
change with a base.
(c) If an indicator changes colour with a base, it does not change colour
with an acid.
(d) Change of colour in an acid and a base depends on the type of the
indicator.
Which of these statements are correct?
(i) All four (ii) a and d (iii) b and c (iv) only d
Answer: only d is correct
************

MUHAMMAD ILIYAS KHAN AMU CITY SCHOOL 14