ACIDS, BASES AND

SALTS
CHAPTER - 02
The chemicals which we come across are usually categorised as acids,
bases and salt.
Earlier this classification was based on different taste of chemicals.
Acids were first recognized as substance that taste sour.
Bases, sometimes called alkalis, are characterised by the their bitter taste
and they are soapy to feel.
Substance having taste similar to that of common salt are called salts.
Acids
According to Arrhenius theory, “An acid is a substance which when dissolved in water, ionizes and release
hydrogen ions [H+(aq)] in solution.

Classification of acids –
(a) On the basis of their source, acids are of two types
(i) Minerals acids / Inorganic acids
They are generally obtained from minerals or rocks.
Examples
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) Carbonic acid ( H2CO3)
Sulphuric acid (H2SO4 ) Phosphoric acid ( H3PO4)
Nitric acid (HNO3)
(ii) Organic acid
They are generally obtained from plants and animals.
Examples –
Formic acid (HCOOH) Benzoic acid (C 6H5COOH )
Acetic acid (CH3COOH) Citric acid (C 6H8O7)
(b) On the basis of their strength
(i) Strong acid
They undergo complete ionisation in aqueous solution
Examples, HCl, H2SO4 etc.
(ii) Weak acid
They undergo incomplete ionisation in aqueous solution
Examples, CH3COOH, HCOOH etc.
(c) On the basis of concentration of the acid
(ii) Concentrated acid : They contain less amount of water and more acid.
(iii) Dilute acid : They contain large amount of water and less amount of acid.
Bases
According to Arrhenius theory “ Those substances which gives hydroxide or hydroxyl
ion (OH-) in their aqueous solutions are called bases.
Indicators
• Indicator, Indicates the nature of particular solution whether acidic, basic
and neutral.
Types of indicators :
(1) Indicators showing different colours in acidic & basic medium.
Examples : Litmus, Phenolpthalein and methyl orange.
(2) Indicators giving different odour in acidic and basic medium/ olfactory
indicators.
Examples : Onion extract, vanilla and clove oil.
Chemical properties of acids and bases
(1) Action of indicators :
Acids turns blue litmus red but have no effect on red litmus.
Bases turn red litmus blue but have no effect on blue litmus.
Phenolpthalein is colourless in acidic medium and turns pink in basic
medium.
Methyl orange is yellow in basic medium and red in acidic medium.
(2) Reaction with metals
Dilute acids like dil. HCl and dil. H2SO4 Reacts with certain active metals
to evolve hydrogen gas.
Metals + dil. Acid → Metal salt + hydrogen
Zn + dil. H2SO4 → ZnSO4 (aq) + H2
Reaction of a base with metal
Reaction of acid with metal carbonates and metal hydrogen carbonates

All metal carbonates and hydrogen carbonates react with acids to give a
corresponding salt, carbon dioxide and water.
Metal carbonate/metal hydrogen carbonate + acid → salt + CO2 + water
Reaction of metallic oxides with acids
What Happens to an Acid or a Base in a Water Solution?
The process of dissolving an acid or a base in water is a highly exothermic
one. 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. The glass container may also break
due to excessive local heating.
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.
HOW STRONG ARE ACID OR BASE SOLUTIONS?
• We can meauser this by making use of a universal indicator, which is a mixture of
several indicators. The universal indicator shows different colours at different
concentrations of hydrogen ions in a solution.
• A scale for measuring hydrogen ion concentration in a solution, called pH scale has
been developed. The p in pH stands for ‘potenz’ in German, meaning power.
• On the pH scale we can measure pH generally from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very
alkaline).
Importance of pH in Everyday Life
(1) Plants and animals are pH sensitive –
Our body works within the pH range of 7.0 to 7.8. Living organisms can
survive only in a narrow range of pH change.
When pH of rain water is less than 5.6, it is called acid rain. When acid
rain flows into the rivers, it lowers the pH of the river water. The
survival of aquatic life in such rivers becomes difficult.
(2) Soil pH and plants –
Plants require a specific pH for their growth. If the soil is too acidic or
basic the plants grow badly or do not grow at all.
Treatment of acidic or basic Soil

The pH of acidic soil can reach as low as 4 and that of the basic soil can go
up to 8.3. Chemicals can be added to soil to adjust its pH and make it
suitable for growing plants.
If soil is too acidic, then it is treated with materials like quick lime (calcium
oxide) or slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or chalk (calcium carbonate).
All this materials are bases and hence react with the excess acid present in
soil and reduce its acidity.
If the soil is too basic, decaying organic matter (manure or compost), which
contains acidic materials.
Importance of pH in our digestive system

Our stomach produces hydrochloric acid. It helps in the digestion of food

without harming the stomach. During indigestion the stomach produces too
much acid and this causes pain and irritation. To get rid of this pain, people
use bases called antacids.
These antacids neutralise the excess acid. Magnesium hydroxide (Milk of
magnesia), a mild base, is often used for this purpose.
pH change as the cause of tooth decay

Tooth decay starts when the pH of the mouth is lower than 5.5. Tooth
enamel, made up of calcium phosphate is the hardest substance in the
body. It does not dissolve in water, but is corroded when the pH in the
mouth is below 5.5.
Bacteria present in the mouth produce acids by degradation of sugar and
food particles remaining in the mouth after eating.
The best way to prevent this is to clean the mouth after eating food.
Using toothpastes, which are generally basic, for cleaning the teeth can
neutralise the excess acid and prevent tooth decay.
Self defence by animals and plants through chemical warfare

• The sting of honey bee contains methanoic acid, this acid causes a lot of
irritation and pain. The pain could be reduced by applying baking soda
paste on the affected region as the acid get neutralised.
• Nettle plant leaves have sting hairs. When a person touch the leaves, the
nettle leaves inject methanoic acid (HCOOH) in to the skin of person
causing burning pain. The nettle sting, being acidic can be neutralised
by rubbing baking soda on the skin.
Nature provide a remedy for the nettle sting in the form of “Dock” plant,
which often grow besides nettle plants. The leaves of dock plant contain
some basic chemicals which neuralises methanoic acid.
Salts
Salts are the ionic compound of two parts, one part carrying a positive
charge called cation and the other part carrying negative charge called
anion.
Some common salts
1. Sodium chloride (NaCl)
2. Potassium nitrate (KNO3)
3. Copper sulphate (CuSO4)
4. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
5. Ammonium chloride ( NH4Cl)
Families of salts
pH of salts
Chemicals from common salt
Salt formed by the combination of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide solution is
called sodium chloride. This is the salt that you use in food.
Common salt — A raw material for chemicals. The common salt thus obtained is an
important raw material for various materials of daily use, such as sodium hydroxide,
baking soda, washing soda, bleaching powder and many more.
Sodium hydroxide – (NaOH)
When electricity is passed through an aqueous solution of sodium chloride (called
brine), it decomposes to form sodium hydroxide. The process is called the chlor-alkali
process because of the products formed– chlor for chlorine and alkali for sodium
hydroxide.
2NaCl(aq) + 2H2O(l) → 2NaOH(aq) + Cl2 (g) + H2 (g)
Chlorine gas is given off at the anode, and hydrogen gas at the cathode. Sodium
hydroxide solution is formed near the cathode. The three products produced in this
process are all useful. Figure 2.8 shows the different uses of these products
Bleaching Powder (calcium oxychloride) CaOCl2
Chlorine is produced during the electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride (brine). This
chlorine gas is used for the manufacture of bleaching powder.
Bleaching powder is produced by the action of chlorine on dry slaked lime [Ca(OH)2 ].
Bleaching powder is represented as CaOCl2 , though the actual composition is quite
complex.
Ca(OH)2 + Cl2 → CaOCl2 + H2O
Bleaching powder is used –
(i) for bleaching cotton and linen in the textile industry, for bleaching wood pulp in
paper factories and for bleaching washed clothes in laundry;
(ii) as an oxidising agent in many chemical industries; and
(iii) for disinfecting drinking water to make it free of germs.
Baking Soda
The chemical name of the compound is sodium hydrogen carbonate
(NaHCO3 ). It is produced using sodium chloride as one of the raw
materials.

The following reaction takes place when it is heated during cooking –

Uses of sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3 )
(i) For making baking powder, which is a mixture of baking soda
(sodium hydrogen carbonate) and a mild edible acid such as tartaric
acid. When baking powder is heated or mixed in water, the
following reaction takes place –

Carbon dioxide produced during the reaction causes bread or cake to

rise making them soft and spongy.
(ii) Sodium hydrogen carbonate is also an ingredient in antacids. Being
alkaline, it neutralises excess acid in the stomach and provides relief.
(iii) It is also used in soda-acid fire extinguishers
Washing Soda
Another chemical that can be obtained from sodium chloride is
Na2CO3 .10H2O (washing soda).
Sodium carbonate can be obtained by heating baking soda; recrystallisation of sodium
carbonate gives washing soda. It is also a basic salt.

Uses of washing soda (i) Sodium carbonate (washing soda) is used in glass, soap and
paper industries.
(ii) It is used in the manufacture of sodium compounds such as borax.
(iii) Sodium carbonate can be used as a cleaning agent for domestic purposes.
(iv) It is used for removing permanent hardness of water.
Are the crystals of salts really dry?
Crystals of some salts contain certain amount of associated water.
The water associated with the crystal of any salts is called water of crystallisation.
The salt containing water of crystallisation are called hydrated salts.
Blue colour copper sulphate crystals
on heating lose water to form anhydrous copper
sulphate which combines with water to form blue
coloured copper sulphate crystals.
Water of crystallisation is the fixed number of
water molecules present in one formula unit of
a salt. Five water molecules are present in one
formula unit of copper sulphate. Chemical formula for
hydrated copper sulphate is CuSO4 . 5H2O.
Plaster of paris (CaSO4.½ H2O).
On heating gypsum at 373 K, it loses water molecules and becomes
calcium sulphate hemihydrate (CaSO4. ½ H2O). This is called Plaster of
Paris, the substance which doctors use as plaster for supporting fractured
bones in the right position.
Plaster of Paris is a white powder and on mixing with water, it changes to
gypsum once again giving a hard solid mass.

In plaster of paris one molecule of water is shared by two formula units of

CaSO4.
Preparation of POP
POP is obtained by heating gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) in a klin at 373K.
373K

2[CaSO4.2H2O] (s) → (CaSO4)2.H2O(s) + 3 H2O(g)

Gypsum plaster of paris
Or
373K

CaSO4.2H2O → CaSO4. ½ H2O(s) + 3/2 H2O(g)

Gypsum plaster of paris
During the preparation of POP temperature should be controlled carefully. Otherwise,
anhydrous calcium sulphate (CaSO4 ) will be formed.