Acids, Bases, and pH

Glencoe: Chapter 24 Sections 3

and 4
Pages 764-774
 I. What are acids?

 Substances that donate hydrogen ions, H+, to

form hydronium ions, H3O+, when dissolved
in water
 Formation of Hydronium Ions

1+
1+

1+
+

H+ H2O H3O+
hydrogen ion water hydronium ion
(a proton)
A. Characteristics of acids

1. Acids turn blue litmus paper red

 Litmus paper is an indicator

2. Acids taste sour

3. Can burn skin

 Common Acids
Sulfuric Acid H2SO4 Battery acid

Nitric Acid HNO3 Used to make fertilizers

and explosives

Phosphoric Acid H3PO4 Food flavoring

Hydrochloric Acid HCl Stomach acid

Acetic Acid CH3COOH Vinegar

Carbonated water
Carbonic Acid H2CO3
 B. Strong vs. Weak acids
1. Strong acids – ionize (break in to
cations and anions) almost completely,
and conduct electricity well
a. Nitric acid (HNO3)
b. Hydrochloric acid (HCl)
c. Sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
d. Perchloric acid
 B. Strong vs. Weak acids
2. Weak acids – do not completely ionize
a. Acetic acid (vinegar)
b. Citric acid
c. ALL others
 II. What are bases?

- Substances that form hydroxide ions (OH-)

ions when in water, or accept H+ ions
 A. Characteristics of Bases

1. Taste bitter
2. Slippery
3. Bases turn red
litmus paper blue
4. Can burn skin
 B. Strong vs. Weak bases

1. Strong bases - ionize (break into

cations and anions) almost completely,
and conduct electricity well
a. KOH – potassium hydroxide
b. NaOH – sodium hydroxide
2. Weak bases - do not completely ionize
a. Ammonia (NH3)
 Review
 Acid: A solution that has an excess of H+
ions. It comes from the Latin word acidus
that means "sharp" or "sour".

 Base: A solution that has an excess of OH-

ions. Another word for base is alkali.

 Aqueous: A solution that is mainly water.

Think about the word aquarium. AQUA
means water.
III. Why is a substance neutral?
 A substance is neutral when:
1. It does not ionize at all, therefore no
H+ or OH- ions
2. It has equal concentrations
(amounts) of H+ and OH- ions
 IV. How acidic or basic is it?
A. pH – measures the concentration of H 3O+ ions

 Crowded
Not Crowded 

 More crowded = More concentrated

 Critical to certain processes and functions
- example: enzymes, blood

B. pH  indicates H3O+ and OH- concentrations

 Concentration vs. Strength
 Concentration is not the same as strength
 Concentration deals with the amount of
hydronium ions in the solution, compared to
the amount of water in the solution.

 More acid or base and less water

= more concentrated
 More ions and less molecules
= stronger
 III. How acidic or basic is it?

C. pH scale  0-14
 Indicates concentration of hydronium ions
0-6 = acid  closer to 0 is more acidic

8-14 = base  closer to 14 is more basic

7 = neutral  H3O+ concentration = OH-

concentrations
 III. How acidic or basic is it?

D. Each pH unit = a power of ten

- Example: pH 3 is 100 times more
acidic than pH 5
 Review
 Strong Acid: An acid that has a very low pH (0-4).

 Strong Base: A base that has a very high pH (10-14).

 Weak Acid: An acid that only partially ionizes in an

aqueous solution. That means not every molecule breaks
apart. They usually have a pH close to 7 (3-6).

 Weak Base: A base that only partially ionizes in an

aqueous solution. That means not every molecule breaks
apart. They usually have a pH close to 7 (8-10).

 Neutral: A solution that has a pH of 7. It is neither acidic

nor basic.