ACIDS, BASES,

AND SALTS
The pH scale  pH SCALE
The pH scale is a measure of acidity or alkalinity
of water soluble substances. 
                 
As you can see above, the scale range from 0 to 14.
Water has a pH of 7 and it is therefore neutral.
The lower the pH, the more acidic it
is and the higher the pH the more basic it is.
• The lower the pH, the more acidic the solution is with higher the
concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in aqueous solutions

• The higher the pH, the more basic the solution is with a higher
concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) in aqueous solutions
 pH INDICATORS 

pH indictors allow us to determine whether a solution is acidic, basic, or neutral.

Litmus paper Methyl orange

Thymolphthalein Phenolphthalein

Universal
indicator
LITMUS PAPER 
• Turns red in acid 
• Turns blue in alkali (soluble base) 
• Purple in neutral

METHYL ORANGE

•  Turns red in acid 

• Turns yellow in alkali (soluble base)

• Orange in neutral (original colour)
THYMOLPHTHALEIN
• Turns colorless in acid 
• Turns blue in alkali (soluble base) 
• Colorless in neutral

PHENOLPHTHALEIN
• Turns colorless in acid 
• Turns pink in alkali (soluble base) 
• Colorless in neutral
UNIVERSAL INDICATOR:

Universal indicator is a wide range indicator and can

give only an approximate value for pH.

pH range Description Colour

<3 Strong acid Red
3–6 Weak acid Orange or Yellow
7 Neutral Green
8–11 Weak alkali Blue
> 11 Strong alkali Purple or Violet
 ACIDS

•Acids are proton donors as they ionize in solution producing protons, H + ions.

•These (H+) ions make the aqueous solution acidic.

•Acids have pH values of below 7, have a sour taste (when edible) and are corrosive

•Acids are substances that can neutralize a base, forming a salt and water

•When acids are added to water, they form positively charged hydrogen ions (H+)

Example: hydrochloric acid
HCL (Aq)   →    H+ (Aq)    +    CL- (Aq)
 • Completely ionizes

Strong • Common laboratory strong acids:

acid 1. Hydrochloric acid HCL
2. Nitric Acid HNO3
3. Sulfuric acid H2SO4

• Partially ionizes

Weak acid • Examples of weak acids:

1. carbonic acid
2. Methanoic acid
3. Ethanoic acid
STRONG ACIDS: Fully dissociated proton donors

WEAK ACIDS: Partially dissociated proton donors

How to differentiate between strong and weak acids?

Acids tested should have the same concentration for a fair comparison

We can test for:

1. pH
2. Electrical conductivity
3. Reaction rate
 1. pH

Stronger acids have lower pH values for the same concentration.

The hydrogen ion concentration depends on two factors:

A. The nature of the acid
B. The concentration of the acid

So it makes more sense to compare the nature of acids at the same concentration.
 2. ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY

A strong acid has more ions than a weak one, and so it's solution will be a better
electrical conductor than a weak acid
 3. Rate of reaction

• The rate of a chemical reaction is proportional to the concentration of the reactants, strong acids have
higher reaction rate.

• The rate of reaction between an acid and a metal carbonate/ a safe & reactive metal could be
investigated.
Example:
Two acids of equal concentration at the same temperature are added to samples of marble chips of equal
mass. The rate of the reaction is studied by plotting the volume of gas evolved against the time taken.
The rate at any time is obtained from a graph of volume against time by measuring the gradient to the
3.RATE OF REACTION
3. REACTION RATE
TYPICAL REACTIONS OF ACIDS

Acids with metals

Acids with bases

Acids with ammonia

Acids with metal carbonates

REACTION OF ACIDS WITH METALS
• Acids react with metals above hydrogen in the reactivity series.

• GENERAL EQUATION
ACID + METAL SALT + HYDROGEN

• The name of the salt is related to the name of the acid used, as it
depends on the anion within the acid.
Reaction of Acids with
metals

1.Metal dissolves

2.Bubbling
REACTION OF ACIDS WITH METALS
2. REACTION OF ACIDS WITH BASES
(NEUTRALIZATION REACTION)
• Acids react with all bases to form salts and water

• General equation
Acid + base salt + water

• When insoluble bases react with acids, they dissolve and a

solution forms.
A neutralization reaction
occurs when an acid reacts with an alkaliwhen these substances react together in a
neutralization reaction, the H+ ions react with the OH– ions to produce water
for example, when hydrochloric acid is neutralized a sodium chloride and water are produced:

•The net ionic equation of acid-alkali neutralizations

H+  +  OH– ⟶ H2O
3. REACTION OF ACIDS WITH AMMONIA

• ACIDS REACT WITH ALL AMMONIA TO FORM AMMONIUM SALT

• GENERAL EQUATION
ACID+ AMMONIA AMMONIUM SALT

NH3(aq) + HCl(aq)              NH4Cl(aq)

• EXAMPLE:
 4. REACTION OF ACIDS WITH METAL
CARBONATES
• Acids react with both soluble and insoluble carbonates.

• GENERAL EQUATION:
ACID + METAL CARBONATE SALT + WATER + CARBON DIOXIDE

Observations:
1. Solid carbonates dissolve
2. Bubbling
 BASICITY OF ACIDS

• The number of hydrogen ions, which can be produced by one molecule of the acid

1. Monobasic acids (Monoprotic acids)

DEFINITION: 1 molecule produce 1 H+ ion upon dissociation
EXAMPLE: HCL, HNO3
DISSOCIATION EQUATION: HCL(Aq) H+(Aq) + CL-(Aq)
2. Dibasic acids (Diprotic acids)
DEFINITION: 1 molecule produce 2 H+ ion upon dissociation
EXAMPLE: H2SO4
DISSOCIATION EQUATION: H2SO4(Aq)  2H+ (Aq) + SO42- (Aq)

3. Tribasic acids (Triprotic acids)

DEFINITION: 1 molecule produce 3H+ ion upon dissociation
EXAMPLE: H3PO4
DISSOCIATION EQUATION: H3PO4(Aq)  3H+(Aq) + PO4 3-(Aq)
 BASES
• Bases are proton acceptors.
• Bases have pH values of above 7.
• Bases have bitter taste and soapy feel, strong ones are corrosive.
• A base which is water-soluble is referred to as an alkali.
• Bases are substances which can neutralize an acid, forming a salt and water.
• Bases are usually oxides or hydroxides of metals.
• When alkalis are added to water, they form negative hydroxide ions (OH–).
• The presence of the (OH- ) ions is what makes the aqueous solution an alkali

NaOH (S)   →    Na+ (Aq)    +    OH- (Aq)

EXAMPLES OF BASES:

 METAL HYDROXIDE (METAL ION & OH- ION)

 METAL OXIDES
 METAL CARBONATES (METAL ION & CO32-)
 METAL HYDROGEN CARBONATE (BICARBONATE)
 AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE (NH4OH)
 AMMONIUM CARBONATE ((NH4)2CO3)
STRONG BASES: Fully dissociated proton acceptors

WEAK BASES: Partially dissociated proton acceptors

TYPICAL REACTIONS OF BASES

Baes with acids

Bases with ammonium

salts
 TYPICAL REACTIONS OF BASES

1. Reaction of bases with acids

When bases react with an acid, a neutralization reaction occurs
Acids and bases react together in a neutralization reaction and produce a salt and water:
ACID    +    BASE   →    SALT    +    WATER
2. Reaction of alkalis with ammonium salts
• Ammonium salts undergo decomposition when warmed with an alkali.
• Even though ammonia is itself a weak base, it is very volatile and can easily be
displaced from the salt by another alkali.
• A salt, water and ammonia are produced.

• Test for ammonia gas: damp red litmus paper

Result: turns blue

EXAMPLE:
NH4Cl + NaOH →NaCl + H2O + NH3
 TESTING FOR AMMONIA (NH3) GAS

•Ammonia is a gas with a pungent smell that

turns damp red litmus paper blue
 Basic
Metal
oxides Amphoteri
Types of c
oxides
Acidic
Non-metal
oxides
Neutral
 NON-METAL OXIDES

1. NEUTRAL OXIDES
Do not react with acids or bases 

Examples:
Water (H2O)

Nitrogen (II) oxide (NO)

Carbon monoxide (CO)
 NON-METAL OXIDES

2. ACIDIC OXIDES
• Will turn litmus paper red
• Neutralize bases 

Examples:
Sulphur dioxide (SO2), sulphur trioxide (SO3), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

carbon dioxide (CO2), and oxides of phosphorus, silicon dioxide (SiO2)

 METAL OXIDES/HYDROXIDES

1. BASIC OXIDES
 Most metal oxides are basic.
 Soluble bases are called alkalis, they turn litmus paper blue.
 These basic oxides will undergo a neutralization reaction with acids.
 Examples:
NaOH, MgO, Fe2O3, FeO, CuO
 METAL OXIDES/HYDROXIDES

2. AMPHOTERIC OXIDES
• Amphoteric oxides react with either a base or acid to form salt and water.
• These oxides have the properties of a base and acid.
• Examples:
Zinc oxide/hydroxide ZnO/Zn(OH)2

Aluminium oxide/hydroxide Al2O3/Al(OH)3

Chromium (III) oxide/ hydroxide Cr2O3 / Cr(OH)3

 AMPHOTERIC OXIDES

BEHAVING AS A BASE BEHAVING AS AN ACID

Describe how you find out if the oxide is acidic basic
or amphoteric

We test it using a strong acid (HCl) and a strong alkali (NaOH)

The acidic oxide reacts with the alkali
The basic oxide reacts with the acid
The amphoteric oxide reacts with both
 Chapter 11
Samar Al-Qutati