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CHAPTER 11
OXIDES AND HYDROXIDES
11.1 Oxides
An oxide is a compound which contains only oxygen and one other element.
There are many kinds of oxides. The main types of oxides are ;
(1) basic oxides
(2) acidic oxides
(3) amphoteric oxides
(4) neutral oxides
(5) peroxides
(6) compound oxides
Basic oxides
A basic oxides is a metallic oxide. It is formed by the reaction of metals with oxygen.
metals + oxygen metallic oxides
(most of which are
basic in character)
Properties
1. Solubility in water
Some basic oxides are soluble in water but some are not. (Refer to activity series) e.g.,
Na2O, K2O, are soluble oxides, while MgO, CuO, Ag2O are not.
Soluble basic oxides react with water, forming hydroxide solutions (alkalis).
These solutions turn red litmus blue.

sodium oxide + water sodium hydroxide

Na2O + H2O 2NaOH
Other examples
basis oxide alkali
K2O (soluble in water) KOH
CaO (slightly soluble in water) Ca(OH)2
2. Action with acids
A basic oxide reacts with an acid to produce a salt and water only.

(a) Soluble oxide

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sodium hydrochloric sodium

+ + water
oxide acid (dil) chloride

Na2O + 2HCl 2NaCl + H2O

`

(b) Insoluble oxide

copper (II) sulphuric copper (II)
+ + water
oxide acid (dil) sulphate
CuO + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O

Properties of basic oxides can be summarized as follows :

K Oxides of these metals are K
Na soluble in water forming
Ca alkalis Oxides of these
metals are not
Mg Oxides of these metals (except Al) reduced to
Al can be made from the metal by metal by
Zn the action of nitric acid and then Zn hydrogen
Fe decomposing by heating (i.e., by
Pb heating the nitrates of the metals)
Cu

Hg Oxides of these metals

Ag compose when heated
Au

Acidic oxides
An acidic oxide is a non-metallic oxide. It is formed by the reaction of non-metals with
oxygen.
non-metals + oxygen non-metallic oxides
(most of which are acidic in
character)

Amphoteric oxides
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An amphoteric oxide is a metallic oxide which possesses both basic and acidic properties,
i.e., it can react with both acid and alkali.
Example : ZnO and Al2O3

(a) Basic property (reaction with acids)

zinc oxide + sulpuric acid (dil) zinc sulphate + water
ZnO + H2SO4 ZnSO4 + H2O
aluminium oxide + hydrochloric acid aluminium chloride + water
Al2O3 + 6HCl 2AlCl3 + 3H2O
(b) Acidic property (reaction with alkalis)
zinc sodium
+ + water sodium zincate
oxide hydroxide
ZnO + 2NaOH + H2O Na2ZnO2.2H2O(or)Na2Zn(OH)4
Neutral oxides
A neutral oxide is an oxide which shows neither basic nor acidic character. e.g., carbon
monoxide, CO, dinitrogen oxide, N2O. (Although water is neutral to litmus, it is not a
neutral oxide.)

Peroxides
Those oxides that react with acid to give salt and hydrogen peroxide are called peroxides.
barium sulphuric barium hydrogen
+ +
peroxide acid sulphate peroxide
BaO2 + H2SO4 BaSO4 + H2O2

PbO2 lead (IV) oxide, MnO2 manganese (IV) oxide and NO2 nitrogen dioxide are
not peroxides. They do not give hydrogen peroxide on reaction with acids.

Compound oxides
A compound oxide is an oxide, formed by the combination of two different oxides of the
same element.
Example : Di lead (II) lead (IV) oxide (red lead oxide) Pb 3O4 is a compound
consisting of lead (II) oxide and lead (IV) oxide. Pb 3O4can be written as
2PbO . PbO2.

The following reaction supports this statement.

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red lead nitric lead (II) lead (IV)

+ + water +
oxide acid nitrate oxide
Pb3 O4 + 4HNO3 2Pb(NO3)2 + 2H2O + PbO2

Compare this reaction with the following :

lead(II) lead (IV) nitric lead(II) lead
(IV) + + + water +

oxide oxide acid nitrate oxide

2PbO + PbO2 + 4HNO3 2Pb(NO3)2 + 2H2O + PbO2
base acid salt water
Pb3O4 unchanged
Other examples : Fe3O4 (FeO. Fe2O3)
Mn3O4 (2MnO. MnO2)

11.2. Preparation of Oxides

Several methods are used for the preparation of oxides.
Method 1 Direct combination of an element with oxygen
Metals or non-metals react with oxygen to give oxides.
metal + oxygen  metallic oxide (basic oxide)
non-metal + oxygen  non-metallic oxide (acidic oxide)
Example :
magnesium + oxygen  magnesium oxide
2Mg + O2  2MgO
carbon + oxygen  carbon dioxide
C + O2  CO2
sodium + oxygen  sodium oxide
4Na + O2  2Na2O
sodium + oxygen.  sodium peroxide
(excess)
2Na + O2  Na2O2

Method 2 Decomposition of nitrate

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Most heavy metallic nitrates decompose on heating. They decompose to metallic oxide,
nitrogen dioxide and oxygen.
Example :

zinc nitrate zinc oxide + nitrogen dioxide + oxygen
2Zn(NO3)2  2ZnO + 4NO2 + O2
copper(II) nitrate  copper (II)oxide + nitrogen dioxide + oxygen
2Cu(NO3)2  2CuO + 4NO2 + O2
Method 3 Decomposition of carbonates
Most of the carbonates decompose to oxides and carbon dioxide on heating.
Example :
calcium carbonate  calcium oxide + carbon dioxide
CaCO3  CaO + CO2

Method 4 Decomposition of hydroxides

Some metallic hydroxides decompose to oxides and water on heating.
Example :
iron (III) hydroxide  iron (III) oxide + water
2Fe(OH)3  Fe2O3 3H2O

11.3 Summary Preparative Methods for obtaining Oxides from Metals or their
Soluble Salts.

11.4 Properties of Oxides

1. Solubility in water
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Some acidic oxides are soluble in water but some are not. e.g., CO 2, SO2, SO3, P4O10 are
soluble oxides while SiO2, is an insoluble oxide.
Soluble acidic oxides dissolve in water to form acid solutions. These solutions
turn blue litmus red.
sulphur trioxide + water sulphuric acid
SO3 + H2O H2SO4
phosphorus (V) oxide + water phosphoric acid
P4O10 + 6H2O 4H3PO4
Other examples
acidic oxide acid
CO2 H2CO3 (carbonic acid)
SO2 H2SO3 (sulphurous acid)
2. Action with basic oxides
Soluble acidic oxides react with basic oxides to give normal salts (without hydrogen).
carbon dioxide + sodium oxide sodium carbonate
CO2 + Na2O Na2CO3
3. Action with alkalis
(a) Soluble acidic oxide
Soluble acidic oxides react with alkali solutions to give either normal salts and water, or
an acid salt.
With limited amount of acidic oxide, salt and water are formed.
carbon dioxide + calcium hydroxide calcium carbonate +water
CO2 + Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 + H2 O
With in excess amount of acidic oxide, an acid salt is formed.
carbon dioxide + calcium hydroxide calcium
hydrogencarbonate
2CO2 + Ca(OH)2 Ca(HCO3)2
(b) Insoluble acidic oxides
Insoluble acidic oxides do not react with water. They react with basic oxides and alkalis.
With basic oxide

silicon dioxide + sodium oxide sodium silicate

SiO2 + Na2O Na2SiO3
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With alkali
silicon dioxide + sodium hydroxide sodium silicate + water
SiO2 + 2NaOH Na2SiO3 + H2 O

11.5 Hydroxides
Hydroxides can be classified as
(i) basic hydroxides (eg. NaOH, KOH, etc---)
(ii) amphoteric hydroxides (eg. Zn(OH)2, Al(OH)2)
(iii) acid hydroxides (eg. (HO)2SO2, HONO2)
Hydroxides which are soluble in water are called alkalis.

11.6 Preparation of hydroxides

Soluble hydroxides of metals
Hydroxides of metals which are soluble in water may be prepared by the following
methods.
Method 1 Action of metal with water
Some metals react with water to give soluble hydroxides of metals and hydrogen.
sodium + water sodium hydroxide + hydrogen
2Na + 2H2O 2NaOH + H2
Method 2 By dissolving soluble metal oxides in water
Some soluble metal oxides, not only dissolve in water, but react with water to give
hydroxides.
sodium oxide + water sodium hydroxide
Na2O + H2O 2NaOH
sodium peroxide + water sodium hydroxide + nascent oxygen
Na2O2 + H2O 2NaOH + (O)

Note Oxygen in the atomic state is called nascent oxygen. Two atoms of nascent oxygen combine to
form molecular oxygen.

Insoluble hydroxides of metals

Insoluble hydroxides of metals are not prepared by the above methods. They may be
prepared by using the following method.
Method : By the action of soluble salt with alkali
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Addition of soluble alkalis (NaOH, KOH) to soluble salts of heavy metals give insoluble
hydroxides.
soluble salt + alkali insoluble hydroxide + salt
of heavy metal of metal

Ex ; copper (II) potassium copper (II) potassium

+ +
nitrate hydroxide hydroxide nitrate
Cu(NO3)2 + 2KOH Cu(OH)2 + 2KNO3

11.7 Properties of Hydroxides

The properties of hydroxides of metals may be studied with the aid of the following
activity series.
K hydroxides of these metals are soluble in water,
Na forming hydroxide solution (alkali); potassium
Ca and sodium hydroxides do not decompose on
Ba heating; calcium and barium hydroxides
decompose on strong heating
Mg
Al
Zn hydroxides of these metals are insoluble in
Fe water; on heating, they decompose into
Sn oxides and water
Pb
Cu
Hg
Ag hydroxides of these metals do not exist
Au

1. Action of heat
Hydroxides of these metals in the above series (except potassium and sodium)
decompose to oxide and water on heating.
copper (II) Hydroxide copper (II) oxide + water
Cu(OH)2 CuO + H2O

2. Action with metals

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Alkali solutions react with zinc and aluminium metals to give hydrogen and the zincates
and aluminates.
sodium
aluminium + sodium + water + hydrogen
hydroxide aluminate

2Al + 2NaOH + 6H2O 2NaAlO2. 4H2O + 3H2

(or)
2NaAl (OH)4
3. Action with acids
When hydroxides of metals react with acids, salts and water are formed.
calcium hydroxide + nitric acid calcium nitrate + water
Ca(OH)2 + 2HNO3 Ca(NO3)2 + 2H2O

SUMMARY
Oxygen combines directly with all other elements (except the noble gases and the
noble metals) to form oxides. The main types of oxides are basic oxides (metallic
oxides), acidic oxides (non- metallic oxides), amphoteric oxides (possess both acidic and
basic properties), neutral oxides (neither acidic nor basic oxide), peroxides (react with
acid to give salt and H2O2) and compound oxides (combination of two different oxides of
the same element). Preparative methods for obtaining oxides from metals or their soluble
salt are summarized in 11.3 on page 131.Metal oxides that are soluble in water react to
produce the corresponding hydroxides. Hydroxides can be classified as basic hydroxides,
amphoteric hydroxides and acidic hydroxides.

Questions and Problems

1. What are the main classes of oxides? Give one example of each class.
2. State to which class of oxide each of the following belongs.
(a) copper (II) oxide (d) carbon monoxide
(b) sulphur dioxide (e) di lead (II) lead (IV) oxide
(c) aluminium oxide (f) barium peroxide
3. Describe the reactions, if any, of each of the following oxides with
(a) water (b) dilute nitric acid (c) sodium hydroxide solution.
(i) calcium oxide (ii) carbon monoxide (iii) zinc oxide
4. Describe how you would prepare :
(a) copper (II) oxide from copper (II) sulphate solution.
(b) zinc oxide from solid zinc carbonate.
(c) lead (II) oxide from lead (II) nitrate crystals.
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5. The observations given below relate to three oxides, A, B and C. Classify the
oxides, and in each case name one oxide which has the properties indicated.
A is a white crystalline solid which reacts vigorously with water, forming a
solution which turns blue litmus paper red.
B is a white powder which is insoluble in water. It forms colourless solutions
when separate portions are warmed with (i) dilute hydrochloric acid (ii)
concentrated sodium hydroxide solution.
C is a white solid which reacts vigorously with water forming a white suspension.
When this is filtered the filtrate turns red litmus paper blue.
6. Write TRUE or FALSE for each of the following statements.
(a) There are six kinds of oxides.
(b) A basic oxide is a non-metallic oxide.
(c) An acidic oxide is a metallic oxide.
(d) Soluble acidic oxides dissolve in water to form acid solutions.
(e) An amphoteric oxide is a metallic oxide which possesses both basic and
acidic properties.
(f) A neutral oxide which shows neither basic nor acidic character.
(g) Metallic oxide reacts with dilute acid to produce salt and hydrogen.
(h) A basic oxide is a metallic oxide.
7. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word or words.
(a) A compound oxide is an oxide, formed by the combination of two ...............
oxides of the same element.
(b) Metals or non-metals react with ............... to give oxides.
(c) Some metallic hydroxides decompose to ...............and water, on heating.
(d) Although water is neutral to litmus, it is not a ...............oxide.
(e) Most of the carbonates decompose to oxides and ...............on heating.
(f) An …….. oxide is an oxide which possesses both acidic and basic
properties.
(g) An …….. oxide is a non-metallic oxide.
(h) Soluble basic oxides react with water , forming ………. Solutions.
8. Select the correct word or words given in the brackets.
(a) Some metals react with water to give (soluble, insoluble, different)
hydroxides of metals and hydrogen.
(b) Some metals react with (hydrogen, oxygen, water) to give soluble
hydroxides of metals and hydrogen.
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(C) Addition of soluble alkalis (NaOH, KOH) to soluble salts of heavy metals
give (soluble, insoluble, different) hydroxides.
(d) An acidic oxide is a (metallic, non-metallic, neutral) oxide.
(e) Soluble basic oxides react with water forming hydroxide solutions. These
solutions turn (red, orange, violet) litmus blue.
(f) An alkali is a ( basic, acidic, neutral ) hydroxides which is soluble in water .
9. Match each of the items given in list A with the appropriate item given in list B.
List A List B
(a) An acidic oxide (i) which possesses both acidic
and basic properties
(b) A basic oxide (ii) an oxide which shows
neither basic nor acidic
character
(c) An amphoteric oxide (iii) an oxide formed by the
combination of two
different oxides of the
same element
(d) A compound oxide (iv) a non-metallic oxide
(c) A neutral oxide (v) a metallic oxide
10. Answer the following questions.
(a) What class of oxide does sulphur dioxide belong to ?
Is it soluble in water ? If so, what effect does it have on litmus paper ?
(b) Explain the properties of basic oxides using the activity series.
(c) What class of oxide each of the following belong to ?
(i) carbon monoxide (ii) aluminium oxide
(iii) barium peroxide (iv) di lead (II) lead (IV) oxide

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