Acids Bases and Salts-Handout: Subject: Science Class Vii

SUBJECT: SCIENCE
CLASS VII
Acids Bases and Salts- Handout

Acids, bases and salts are the three important groups of chemical compounds which are useful to us in many
ways.
Acids: The word ‘acid’ has been derived from a Latin word ‘acidus/acere’ which means ‘sour’. Thus all sour
substances essentially contain acids. Example: Curd, vinegar, lemon
 Organic acid : The acids occur naturally found in various types of plants and animals are called as
organic acids.
Eg: acetic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, nucleic acid. Usually they are weak acids.
 Mineral acids : The acids prepared from the minerals of the earth are called mineral acids.
Eg: Hydrochloric acid, Sulphuric acid, Nitric acid.
Concentrated acids: Acids that the minimum quantity of water possible are called concentrated
acids.
Dilute acids: Acids that contain more water than the concentrated acid are called dilute acids. They
can be obtained by adding concentrated acid to water.
Properties of acids:
 Acids are sour to taste.

 Acids cause burning and itching on skin
 Acids turn blue litmus to red.
 Acids can corrode metals like aluminium and iron due to their corrosive nature. That is why
acids are stored in glass containers and not in metal containers.
 Acids are soluble in water.
Uses of acids:
Acids are widely used in industries and present in everyday products. Hydrochloric acid which is
present in our stomach, helps to digest our food.
Uses of some acids are given in the following table;
Base: The substances that are bitter in taste and feel soapy on touching are known as bases.
Types of Bases:
Based on how they take part in a reaction, bases are of two types: strong bases and weak bases.
Strong bases: Some of the bases are corrosive in nature and may result in skin burns. Such bases are called
strong bases. For example, Sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide.
Weak bases: Some of the bases are not corrosive in nature. Such bases are called weak bases. For example,
Magnesium hydroxide, Ammonium hydroxide, Copper hydroxide.
Properties of bases:
 Bases are bitter to taste.

 Bases turn red litmus to blue.
 Some of the bases are soluble in water they are called alkalis (potassium hydroxide and
sodium hydroxide).
Uses of bases:
Sodium Hydroxide is a strong base and it is used in drain cleaners. Strong bases dissolve grease and help in
removing dirt.
Uses of some bases are given in the following table:
Neutral substances: Substances which are neither acidic nor basic are called neutral substances.
Indicator: The complex substances which change their colour on coming in contact with other substances are
called indicators.
 Natural indicators: For example: Turmeric, Litmus, China rose petals are natural indicators.
 Synthetic Indicator : Phenolphthalein, methyl orange are synthetic indicators.
Lichens: An indicator, called Litmus, is extracted from lichens. Litmus has purple colour in distilled water. In
an acidic solution, it turns red. When it is added to a basic solution, it turns blue. It is available as red and
blue litmus
China rose: China rose indicator is a light pink coloured solution which is extracted from the red flowers of
China rose plant with water.
Turmeric: Turmeric is a bright yellow powder obtained from a plant.

Synthetic indicator: Phenolphthalein and methyl orange are some examples of chemicals which act as acid-
base indicator.
Neutralization: The reaction between an acid and a base is known as neutralization. In the process of
neutralization, salt and water are produced with the evolution of heat.
Acid + Base Salt + Water (heat is evolved)
Eg: HCl + NaOH NaCl + H2O + heat
Neutralization in Daily Life

 During indigestion, taking milk of magnesia (magnesium hydroxide) gives us relief as it
neutralizes the effect of excess acid produced inside the stomach.
 The effect of ant sting which is caused by formic acid can be neutralized by rubbing moist baking
soda (basic in nature).
 To ensure that plants can grow well, the soil is treated with either acids or bases depending if it’s
basic or acidic in nature.
 Factory wastes, generally being acidic in nature can cause environmental damage, are treated with
basic substances before discharge.
Salt: The product formed (a new substance) by neutralization reaction between an acid and a base is called salt.
Salt can be acidic, basic or neutral in nature.
Properties of Salts:
 Most of the salts are soluble in water.
 Solution of salts in water acts as good conductor of electricity.
Videos For Reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6-mlh9xRjg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRlby9On0yc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3A-UzEN7lw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vamp656oCM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zq13W-0lU4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpjWqLDq2FQ

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SUBJECT: SCIENCE

Acids Bases and Salts- Handout

Eg: Hydrochloric acid, Sulphuric acid, Nitric acid.

 Acids are sour to taste.

 Bases are bitter to taste.

Turmeric: Turmeric is a bright yellow powder obtained from a plant.

Acid + Base Salt + Water (heat is evolved)

Eg: HCl + NaOH NaCl + H2O + heat

Neutralization in Daily Life

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