Unit 13 A Closer Look at Acids ชื่อ-นามสกุล _________________________________ ชั้น ___เลขที่ ___

Chemists define acids in several ways. In the nineteenth century, the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius defined an acid as anything
that produces hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Hydrogen ions are positively charged hydrogen atoms. Normally, hydrogen
atoms contain one proton and one electron. The proton has a positive charge, and the electron has a negative charge. When a
hydrogen atom loses its electron, it becomes a hydrogen ion.
Arrhenius’s definition was widely accepted, but it was also problematic. It applied only to acids formed by dissolving something in
water. In 1923, two different chemists independently formulated a new theory defining acids. These chemists were Brønsted and
Lowry. Both defined acids as something capable of giving a proton to another molecule. When hydrogen chloride gas (HCl) is dissolved
in water, for example, it acts like an acid. The gas gives hydrogen ions to the molecules of water to produce hydronium ions (H3O+).
Today, the Brønsted-Lowry theory of acids is the most widely used. However, some chemists prefer an even broader definition. This
broader definition of acids states that all acids can be defined as electron pair acceptors. This means that an acid will readily accept
electrons from other atoms or molecules. When this happens, the acid and the donor molecule form a new molecule by sharing the
electron pair. This definition includes Brønsted-Lowry acids. It also includes acids that do not contain hydrogen atoms and thus cannot
be hydrogen ion donors.
After defining something as an acid, it is possible to compare it with other acids to classify it. Chemists commonly classify acids
based on their strength. An acid’s strength is determined by how much the acid ionizes in a solution. When hydrogen chloride, for
example, is dissolved in water, it forms hydronium as noted above. It also forms chloride ions. Because every molecule of hydrogen
chloride readily separates into ions, hydrochloric acid is considered a strong acid. Acetic acid, on the other hand, forms only a few ions
in solution. It is, therefore, considered a weak acid.
The scale used by chemists to measure the degree of acidity of a solution is called the pH scale. The values of this scale range
from 0 to 14. A solution with a pH value of 0 is extremely acidic. A solution with a pH value of 14 is extremely basic. A neutral solution,
such as pure water, is neither acidic nor basic and has a pH of 7. Common solutions have a wide range of acidity. Milk, for example,
has a pH of 6.5, meaning that it is only slightly acidic. On the other hand, natural acids found in the stomach are highly acidic, with pH
values between 1.0 and 2.0.
 In addition to their pH levels, acids may be further classified as organic or inorganic. Organic acids contain carbon atoms. An
example of this kind of acid would be ascorbic acid, or vitamin C. Acetylsalicylic acid, commonly known as aspirin, is another organic
acid. Amino acids, which contain nitrogen, are also considered organic acids. Amino acids are the building blocks essential for life.
Other acids, such as sulfuric acid and nitric acid, are inorganic acids. These acids generally do not contain carbon atoms. Such acids are
commonly used in things like metals, paints, plastics, and gasoline. Sulfuric acid is used in car batteries, while nitric acid is mostly used
in plant foods and explosives.

1. Mark each statement as true (T), false (F), or inferred (I) according to the passage.
1. Arrhenius’s definition of an acid is still the most widely used today.
2. Arrhenius’s definition applied only to acids formed by dissolving something in water.
3. Chemists commonly classify acids based on their strength.
4. Lactic acid (C3H6O3) is an organic acid.
5. A liquid with a pH of 12 is a fairly strong acid.

2. Complete the table below to summarize the three theories of language acquisition discussed in the passage.
1. Which of the following best describes the purpose of this passage? 3. What is one difference between organic and inorganic acids?
(A) To suggest a new definition for acids that is easy to understand (A) Organic acids are found only in the human body.
(B) To question whether or not there is such a thing as an acid (B) Inorganic acids are found only in synthetic materials.
(C) To persuade readers never to handle dangerous acids (C) Organic acids usually contain carbon.
(D) To inform readers about the formation and classification of acids (D) Organic acids produce nitrogen when dissolved in water.
2. How do scientists determine the strength of an acid?
(A) By how much the acid ionizes in a solution
(B) By how many protons it has
(C) By how many electrons it has
(D) By how long it takes to react with carbon
3. Complete the table below to summarize the three definitions of acids discussed in the passage.
Svante Arrhenius

Brønsted and Lowry

Modern Chemists

4. Choose the correct definition of the word in bold. 5. Choose the best word to fill in the blanks.
1. Hydrogen ions are positively charged hydrogen atoms. 1. A(n) __________ is a particle with a negative charge.
(A) liquid solutions (A) electron (B) ion (C) molecule (D) definition
(B) a state of matter like a gas
(C) the smallest parts of an element 2. First, I __________ the sugar in some water, and then I added lemons to it.
2. Both defined acids as something capable of giving a proton to (A) classified (B) formulated (C) determined (D) dissolved
another molecule.
(A) having a reason for doing something 3. In the 1770s, the United States fought to become a(n) __________ country.
(B) having some chance to do something (A) capable (B) essential (C) independent (D) neutral
(C) having the ability to do something
3. Arrhenius’s definition was widely accepted, but it was also 4. We learned that there are many different __________ to explain the phenomenon.
problematic. (A) scales (B) charges (C) theories (D) molecules
(A) description
(B) foundation 5. Since I was friends with both of them, I tried my best to remain __________ in the
(C) exception argument.
(A) formulaic (B) organic (C) advantageous (D) neutral
6. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blanks.
1. I am perfectly __________ of driving myself to the doctor’s office.
(A) capable (B) capability (C) capably (D) capableness
2. She couldn’t view the page because the information on it was __________.
(A) classify (B) classification (C) classifiable (D) classified
3. The student asked the teacher to repeat the __________ of the word.
(A) define (B) definition (C) defined (D) definable
4. He was __________ to get the best score in his class.
(A) determine (B) determination (C) determined (D) determining
5. In order to __________ a solution, we must make sure we properly understand the problem.
(A) formulate (B) formulation (C) formulator (D) formulated
7. Underline the correct word or phrase in parentheses.
1. When you don’t know a word’s definition, you can (look up it / look it up) in a dictionary.
2. Chemists (compare with acids / compare acids with) each other in order to classify them.
3. Researchers looked at the test results and formulated two theories (based on that / based that on).
4. None of the things in this box are essential, so you can (give away them / give them away).
5. The chemist studied what happened when different acids were (dissolved in water / dissolved water in).