Ch-2: Acids , Bases and Salts

Part-1

Subtopics
 The physical properties of acids and bases
 Indicators
 pH –Measurement of strength of Acid and Base
 To understand the meaning and procedure of Dilution.

Acids: The word ‘Acid’ came from Latin word ‘Acidus or Acere’ which means sour.
The physical properties of acids
▪ Acids are Sour in taste
▪ Acid turns blue litmus paper red.
▪ A solution of an acids have a pH less than 7.0.
▪ There are many substances which contain acid and hence taste sour, such as -curd, tamarind, lemon

Types of Acids: Acids are divided into two types on the basis of their occurrence –
▪ Natural Acid: Acids which are obtained from natural sources are called natural acid or organic acid. Lactic
acid ,Ascorbic acid, Citric acid
▪ Mineral Acids: Acids which are prepared from mineral are known as mineral acids, inorganic acids, man-
made acids or synthetic acid, such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, etc.

Organic Acids & Source

Acid Natural Source

Acetic acid Vinegar
Ascorbic acid Guava, amla
Citric acid Lemon, orange and other citrus fruits
Lactic acid Sour milk, curd
Methanoic acid Ant sting, nettle sting
Oxalic acid Tomato
Tartaric acid Tamarind

The physical properties of bases -

• Bases are bitter in taste and feel soapy on touch.
• Base turns red litmus paper blue.
• A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0.
• e.g- Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda- NaOH), Calcium hydroxide (CaCO3), Sodium carbonate (washing
soda- Na2CO3), Lime (Calcium oxide-CaO), Potassium hydroxide (caustic potash-KOH)
Types of base: Base can be divided in two types –
Water soluble and water insoluble.
• The ionic salt of alkali and alkaline earth metals are soluble in water. These are also known as alkali.
• e.g– Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), Potassium hydroxide (KOH), Calcium hydroxide(Ca(OH)2)
Green Leafy Vegetables- spinach, lettuce, kale, celery, parsley, argula and mustard greens, Root vegetables
like sweet potato, taro root, lotus root, beets and carrots, onion, garlic and ginger are great sources of alkali.

Indicator
Substances which show the acidic or basic behaviour of other substance by change in colour are known as
indicator.
Type of Indicator: There are many types of indicators. Some common types of indicators are-
 Natural Indicator
 Olfactory Indicator
 Synthetic Indicator
 Universal Indicator
 i) Natural Indicator: Indicators obtained from natural sources are called natural indicators. Plants or plant
parts contain useful chemicals that are used for testing an acidic or basic property of a solution.
Litmus, Turmeric, Red cabbage, Onion, Tomato, beetroots, grape juice, turnip skin, coloured petals of
some flowers such as China rose, Hydrangea, Petunia and Geranium, etc. are some common natural
indicators used widely to show the acidic or basic character of substances.
 Litmus: Litmus is obtained from lichens. The solution of litmus is purple in colour. Litmus paper comes in
two colour – blue and red. Blue litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions (pH below 4.5) while
red litmus paper turns blue under alkaline conditions (pH above 8.3) Neutral litmus paper is purplish in
color.
An acid turns blue litmus paper red (ABR)
A base turns red litmus paper blue.(BRB)
 Turmeric: Turmeric is another natural indicator. Turmeric is yellow in colour. Turmeric solution or paper
turns reddish brown with base. Turmeric does not change colour with acid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzl8N91AVzM
 Red cabbage: The juice of red cabbage is originally purple in colour. Juice of red cabbage turns reddish
with acid and turns greenish with base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4phd0XRMKHU

ii) Olfactory Indicators: An Olfactory indicator is a substance whose smell varies depending on whether it is
mixed with an acidic or basic solution. Olfactory indicators can be used in the laboratory to test whether a
solution is a base or an acid. Olfactory indicators are used to ensure the participation of visually impaired
students in laboratory.
 Onion: Paste or juice of onion loses its smell when added with base. It does not change its smell with acid.
 Vanilla: The smell of vanilla vanishes with base, but it’s smell does not vanishes with an acid.



iii) Synthetic Indicator: Indicators that are synthesized in laboratory are known as synthetic indicators. For
example; phenolphthalein, methyl orange, etc.
 Phenolphthalein is a colourless liquid. It remains colourless with acid but turns into pink with a base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEvhhxg2yKA
 Methyl orange is originally orange in colour. It turns into red with acid and turns into yellow with base.

Indicator Original colour Acid Base

Phenolphthalein Colourless Colourless Pink

Methyl orange Orange Red Yellow

iv) Universal Indicator: Only the acidic or basic character of a solution can be determined by other indicators
but, to get the strength as well as acidic and basic nature of a given solution universal indicator is used.
 Universal indicator is the combination of many indicators, such as water, propanol, phenolphthalein,
sodium salt, sodium hydroxide, methyl red, bromothymol blue monosodium salt, and thymol blue
monosodium salt. The colour matching chart is supplied with universal indicator which shows the
different colours for different values of pH. It shows different colour over the range of pH value from 1 to 14
for a given solution. Universal indicator is available both in the form of strips and solution.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7g0c59ZxH4

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcCPUnA5In8
WHAT DO ALL ACIDS AND ALL BASES HAVE IN COMMON

 The hydrogen ion(H+) in an acid and hydroxide ion(OH-) in a base.

 All acids have similar chemical properties. All acids generate hydrogen gas on reacting with metals, so
hydrogen seems to be common to all acids.

 Hydrogen ions in HCl are produced in the presence of water.

The separation of H+ ion from HCl molecules cannot occur in the absence of water.
HCl + H2O → H3O+ + Cl–
 Hydrogen ions cannot exist alone, but they exist after combining with water molecules. Thus, hydrogen
ions must always be shown as H+(aq) or hydronium ion (H3O+). Acids give H3O+ or H+(aq) ion in water.
H+ + H2O → H3O+

Amongst dry HCl gas and HCl solution, HCl solution will show acidic properties.
This is because dry gas does not show any effect on the pH paper or the litmus paper. This is because -
i. Dry HCl isn't acidic as it doesn't have any free or it hasn't liberated any H+ ions which are responsible for
change in pH of the solution.
ii. HCl solution shows acidic nature as it has dissociated to give H+ ions.

 When a base is dissolved in water, it generate hydroxide (OH–) ions in water.

 NaOH(s) → Na+ (aq)+OH- (aq)
 KOH(s) → K+(aq)+OH (aq)
 Mg(OH)2(s) → Mg2+(aq)+ OH (aq)
 All bases do not dissolve in water. Bases which are soluble in water are called alkalis.
 Examples of common Alkalis
Sodium hydroxide, NaOH often called "caustic soda
Potassium hydroxide, KOH.
Calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2
Magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2

pH –Measurement of strength of Acid and Base

 In pH scale ‘p’ stands for ‘potenz’. Potenz is a German word which means ‘power’ or ‘potential’. Here; ‘H’
stands for hydrogen ion. Thus, pH means the potential of hydrogen or power of hydrogen.
 pH is defined as the decimal logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion activity (a(H + )), in a solution.
 pH is a scale which quantifies the concentration of hydrogen ion in a solution. The range of pH scale is
between 0 to 14.
  The strength of acid or base depends upon the hydrogen ion concentration. If the concentration of
hydrogen ion is greater than hydroxide ion, the solution is called acidic.
 If the concentration of hydrogen ion is smaller than the hydroxide ion, the solution is called basic.
 If the concentration of hydrogen ion is equal to the concentration of hydroxide ion, the solution is called
neutral solution.

 The pH value decreases with increase in hydrogen ion concentration. If the value of pH is 0, this shows
maximum hydrogen ion concentration.
 pH value equal to 14 shows lowest hydrogen ion concentration. pH value equal to 7 shows the hydrogen
ion concentration is equal to hydroxide ion concentration.
 A neutral solution, such as distilled water has value of hydrogen ion concentration equal to 7 on pH scale.
The acidic solution has value of hydrogen ion concentration less than 7 on pH scale. The basic solution
has value of hydrogen ion concentration greater than 7 on pH scale.

Dilution
Mixing an acid or base with water results in decrease in the concentration of ions (H3O+/OH–) per unit volume.
Such a process is called dilution and the acid or the base is said to be diluted.
 The concentration of hydrogen ion in an acid and hydroxide ion in a base; per unit volume; shows the
concentration of acid or base.
 By mixing of acid to water, the concentration of hydrogen ion per unit volume decreases.
 Similarly, by addition of base to water the concentration of hydroxide ion per unit volume decreases. This
process of addition of acid or base to water is called dilution and the acid or base is called diluted.

The process of dissolving an acid or a base in water is a highly exothermic one.

Care must be taken while mixing concentrated nitric acid or sulphuric acid with water.
The acid must always be added slowly to water with constant stirring.
If water is added to a concentrated acid, the heat generated may cause the mixture to splash out and cause
burns and may cause severe damage as concentrated acid and base are highly corrosive. The glass
container may also break due to excessive local heating.

Dilution of a Base: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsVegL2jJkU