Acids and bases (alkali) are something which most Berry Readers will imagine to be only available in labs

of mad scientists, due to perception seen in cartoons or sciencefiction movies. However, in reality, acids are less glamourous and they appear in everyday food such as lemon (citric acid) and vinegar (acetic acid) and most others that taste sour. Similarly, bases although less commonly embedded in a students mind, but are also equally commonly found. So this Part 1 from the new series of notes for SPM Chemistry Form 4 on Acids and Bases from Berry Berry Easy will be on the introduction of acids and bases/alkalis to set the tone for the subsequent notes. [Tips: Try to have a look at all possible solutions at home and see if you can identify which are acids and which are bases. Then proceed to compare your findings with information obtained from the Internet. This is a simple yet important exercise to allow you to fully understand what constitutes acids or alkalis.] SPM Chemistry Form 4 Notes Acids and Bases (Part 1) Acids

An acid is a chemical substance which ionises in water to produce hydrogen ions, H+ / hydroxonium ions, H3O+. H+(aq) + H2O(l) > H3O+(aq) Example: HCl(g) + H2O(l) > H3O+(aq) + Cl -(aq)

Acid Acid name Ions HCl Hydrochloric acid H+, Cl HNO3 Nitric acid H+, NO3H2SO4 Sulphuric acid H+, SO42CH3COOH Ethanoic acid H+, CH3COO Monoprotic acid = acid can produce only one hydrogen ion per molecule in water. (Example: HCl) Diprotic acid = acid can produce two hydrogen ions per molecule in water. (Example: H2SO4) Triprotic acid = acid can produce three hydrogen ions per molecule in water. (Example: H3PO4)

Sodium hydroxide Bases / Alkalis

A base is a chemical substance which reacts with an acid to produce a salt and water only. Base(s) + acid(aq) > salt + water (l). Example: NaOH(s) + HCl(aq) > NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) Formula Solubility in water Ions in the aqueous solution Na+, O2Ca2+, O2Na+, OHK+, OHBa2+, OH-

Base

Copper(II) oxide Lead(II) oxide Magnesium oxide Zinc hydroxide Aluminium hydroxide Sodium oxide Calcium oxide Sodium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide Barium hydroxide

CuO PbO MgO Zn(OH)2 Al(OH)3 Na2O CaO NaOH KOH Ba(OH)2

Insoluble base Insoluble base Insoluble base Insoluble base Insoluble base Soluble base (alkali) Soluble base (alkali) Soluble base (alkali) Soluble base (alkali) Soluble base (alkali)

This ends Part 1 of the notes for SPM Chemistry Form 4 on Acids and Bases from Berry Berry Easy. In the next part in the series, youll learn about the uses of acid and bases in our daily life. So do stay tuned and log on to this site in the future.

Acids and bases are very useful in our daily lives. Lets start with acids. Without acids, we wont have Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), your car wont start (sulphuric acid in car batteries) or even accelerated rotting of your food (food preservative in the form of citric acid). Similarly, imagine a world without bases. Without bases, stubborn stains on your clothing wont come off (sodium hypochlorite in bleach), youll have dirty mirrors (ammonium hydroxide used in glass cleaners) and even having bowel problems as laxatives can be made from magnesium hydroxide. This post on Berry Berry Easy is Part 2 from the series of notes for SPM Chemistry Form 4 on Acids and Bases. Youll learn all about the real-life applications of acids and bases which are relevant to SPM Chemistry. Important chapters in essays. [Tips: For applications of acids and bases, try to memorise the trio combo of application-chemical name-chemical formula. It is good to learn all three to score absolute full marks when you try to desribe the usage of acids and bases. Of course, you must also desribe how they function and where can they be naturally found (if relevant).] SPM Chemistry Form 4 Notes Acids and Bases (Part 2)

Sodium hydroxide The Uses of Acids in Our Daily Life Benzoic acid Carbonic acid Ethanoic acid Hydrochloric acid Its salt are used to preserve food To make carbonated drinks A main compound of vinegar To clean metals before electroplating / household cleaning / leather processing /

swimming pool maintenance Nitric acid Production of fertilisers, explosives, etching and dissolution of metals (purification and extraction of gold) Sulphuric acid To make detergent, polymer and fertilisers. Tartaric acid Manufacturing of soft drinks, provide tartness to food, as an emetic (a substance to induce vomiting) The Uses of Bases in Our Daily Life Ammonia Production of fertilisers (ammonium and nitrate salts), used in the manufacture of nitric acid, neutralise the acid (in the petroleum industry) and prevent premature coagulation in natural / synthetic latex. Manufacture other aluminium compound and to make gastric medicine (antacid) To make cement, limewater, neutralise the acidity of soil and application of sewage treatment. Used in the manufacturing of soups, detergents, and cleaners. Suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water are used as an antacid, used as an antiperspirant armpit deodorant and as a non-hazardous alkali to neutralise acidic wastewater.

Aluminium hydroxide Calcium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide Magnesium hydroxide

This marks the end of Part 2 of the notes for SPM Chemistry Form 4 on Acids and Bases from Berry Berry Easy. In the next part in the series, youll learn about the comparison of chemical properties of acid and base/alkali. So check back soon. If we are talking about opposites in chemistry, there can not be any more opposites than acid and alkali. Acids are the chemical opposites of bases. This is (partly) due to their where acids donates a hydrogen ion to another compound called base, hence they are chemically opposite. Of course there are other differences between the chemical properties of acids and bases. Thus, this Part 3 of notes for SPM Chemistry Form 4 on Acids and Bases from Berry Berry Easy will be on the comparison of chemical properties of acids and bases. [Tips: Often, students try to memorise both sets of properties for acid and alkali. While this is the correct thing to do, but more often than not, certain properties are direct

opposites that you only need to remember one half to recall the other. So do use this trick to memorise the differences.] SPM Chemistry Form 4 Notes Acids and Bases (Part 3)

Sodium hydroxide Chemical Properties

. Acid Alkali In the presence of water, an acid In the presence of water, an alkali . will ionise to form hydrogen ion, will ionise to form hydroxide ion, . . H+. OH -. . Sour in taste Bitter in taste . pH values less than 7 pH values more than 7 . Indicator: Blue litmus paper Indicator: Red litmus paper (Blue) . (Red) . Indicator: Universal indicator Indicator: Universal indicator (Blue . . (Orange and red) and purple) Indicator: Methyl orange (Red) Indicator: Methyl orange (Yellow) . . React with bases to produce salts React with acids to produce salts . and water. and water. . . 2HCl(aq) + CuO(s) > CuCl2(aq) NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) > NaCl(aq) . + H2O(l) + H2O(l) . React with metals (reactive React with an ammonium salt . metal, higher position than H+ in (alkali is heated) to produce . the electrochemical series) to ammonia gas. . produce salts and hydrogen gas. . Ba(OH)2(aq) + 2NH4Cl(s) > . 2HCl(aq) + Zn(s) > ZnCl2(aq) + BaCl2(aq) + 2H2O(l) + 2NH3(g) . H2(g) . React with carbonates to produce React with aqueous salt solutions to . salts, carbon dioxide gas and produce metal hydroxides (as . water. precipitate). . . H2SO4(aq) + ZnCO3(s) > 2NaOH(aq) + CuSO4(aq) > . ZnSO4(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g) Na2SO4(aq) + Cu(OH)2(s) . . This ends Part 3 of the notes for SPM Chemistry Form 4 on Acids and Bases from Berry Berry Easy. In the next part in the series, youll be exposed to the important definitions for acids including monoprotic and polyprotic acids. So do check back to our site for more essential notes. Acids in simple terms can be thought to be compounds which donates hydrogen when dissolved in water. So, what do we make of monoprotic acid and polyprotic acid? The difference is in the ability to donate hydrogens. Monoprotic acids have only a single hydrogen to donate, while polyprotic acids have multiple hydrogens ions to be donated. This Part 4 of notes for SPM Chemistry Form 4 on Acids and Bases from Berry Berry Easy will be on the important definition of acids, which is described from monoprotic acids and polyprotic acids.

[Tips: Rather than remembering monoprotic and polyprotic by heart, maybe it is better to understand the name behind it. Mono means single while poly means multiple. So anything with a mono in front of it means single, while anything with a poly as prefix means the multiple of mono.] SPM Chemistry Form 4 Notes Acids and Bases (Part 4)

Sodium hydroxide Important Definition for Acids Monoprotic acid (monobasic acid) is an acid which produce one mole of H+ ion when one mole of the acid ionise in water. Monoprotic acid HCl HNO3 CH3COOH . Polyprotic acids Diprotic acid (dibasic acid) is an acid which produce two moles of H+ ios from one mole of the acid in water. Diprotic acid Diprotic acid name Monoprotic acid name Hydrochloric acid Nitric acid Ethanoic acid

H2SO4 H2CO3 H2CrO4 H2C2O4

Sulphuric acid Carbonic acid Chromic acid Ethanedioic acid / Oxalate acid

Triprotic acid (tribasic acid) is an acid which produce three moles of H+ ions from one mole of the acid in water. Triprotic acid Triprotic acid name H3PO4 Phosphoric acid C6H8O7 Citric acid We have reached the end of Part 4 of the notes for SPM Chemistry Form 4 on Acids and Bases from Berry Berry Easy. In the next part in the series, youll learn about the berry berry important pH scale colour of the universal indicator. Very important for exams, so do stay tuned.

The pH scale is just a scale using colours to represent the concentration of hydrogen ions. In SPM Chemistry (and real-life applications), it has more far reaching consequences as it is a measure of acidity and basicity of an aqueous solution. It is typically used as a quick indicator to see if an aqueous solution is acidic or basic by judging the value from the pH scale. A pH below 7 is said to be basic while above 7 is touted to be acidic. Then obviously, 7 is taken to be neutral. This post, Part 5 of Berry Berry Easy study notes on Acids and Bases for SPM Form 4 Chemistry students is all about the fascinating and important pH scale. So try your best to understand it, youll need it in your future life and also for examination purposes. [Tips: Most students think of the pH scale as being linear. While the values are linear, the value it measures, the Hydrogen ion concentrations are measured in logarithmic scale. So if the value of an aqueous solution is 1 higher than that of another, it has not 1 time more hydrogen ion concentration but 10 times more. So take note of that. Also, the hydrogen concentration measured here is relative to water rather than any absolute figures, in case you are asking how do you have 1/10,000,000 Hydrogen ions.] SPM Chemistry Form 4 Notes Acids and Bases (Part 5)

(The above image is just a representation, colours may vary, so please follow the colours described in the table below) The pH scale and the Measurement of pH Value of a Solution

pH scale is a set of numbers used to represent the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. pH is a measurement of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in the solution. pH value greater than 7: alkaline solution pH value of exactly 7: neutral solution pH value less than 7: acidic solution In an acidic solution = higher in the concentration of the H+ ions, the lower the pH value. In an alkaline solution = lower in the concentration of the H+ ions, the higher the pH value. pH solution can be measured by using universal indicator, pH paper and pH meter. Colour of Universal Indicator Red

pH value 0, 1, 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12, 13, 14

Orange red Orange Orange yellow Yellow Green Greenish-blue Blue Blue Bluish-purple Purple

You have reached the end of this post. In the next part, Part 6 of Berry Berry Easy study notes on Acids and Bases for SPM Form 4 Chemistry students, Berry Readers will learn about the strength of acids and alkalis. So do check back soon.