Scribd
Upload
42 views

Acids, Bases and Salts Notes - Part 3

Uploaded by

Dhyan Shah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
42 views

Acids, Bases and Salts Notes - Part 3

Uploaded by

Dhyan Shah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Acids, Bases and Salts Part 3

Neutralization Reaction:
When an acid reacts with a base, the hydrogen ion of acid combines with the hydroxide ion of base
and forms water. As these ions combine together and form water; instead of remaining free, thus
both neutralize each other.
OH− + H+ ⇨ H2O
Example: When sodium hydroxide (a base) reacts with hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide breaks
into sodium ion and hydroxide ion and hydrochloric acid breaks into hydrogen ion and chloride ion.
Hydrogen ion and hydroxide ion combine together and form water, while sodium ion and chloride ion
combine together and form sodium chloride.
NaOH + HCl ⇨ OH− + Na+ + H+ + Cl− ⇨ NaCl + H2O

Dilution of Acid and Base:


The concentration of hydrogen ion in an acid and hydroxide ion in a base; per unit volume; shows the
concentration of acid or base.
By mixing of acid to water, the concentration of hydrogen ion per unit volume decreases. Similarly, by
addition of base to water the concentration of hydroxide ion per unit volume decreases. This process
of addition of acid or base to water is called dilution and the acid or base is called diluted.
The dilution of acid or base is exothermic. Thus, acid or base is always added to water and water is
never added to acid or base. If water is added to a concentrated acid or base a lot of heat is
generated, which may cause splashing out of acid or base and may cause severe damage as
concentrated acid and base are highly corrosive.

7. Strong and Weak Acids


An acid which completely dissociates into ions in aqueous solution is called strong acid such as HCl, H2SO4, and
HNO3 etc. Weak acids are those which are weakly dissociated in its aqueous solution such as CH3COOH, H2CO3,
and HCN etc.

8. Strong and Weak Bases


A base such as NaOH or KOH which is completely dissociated in aqueous solution is called a strong base. On the
other hand a base which is weakly dissociated such as NH4OH in its aqueous solution is called a weak base.

9. pH Scale
The strength of acid or base depends upon the hydrogen ion concentration. If the concentration of
hydrogen ion is greater than hydroxide ion, the solution is called acidic. If the concentration of hydrogen
ion is smaller than the hydroxide ion, the solution is called basic. If the concentration of hydrogen ion is
equal to the concentration of hydroxide ion, the solution is called neutral solution.
pH is a scale which quantifies the concentration of hydrogen ion in a solution. The range of pH scale is
between 0 to 14.

1
The pH value decreases with increase in hydrogen ion concentration. If the value of pH is 0, this shows
maximum hydrogen ion concentration. pH value equal to 14 shows lowest hydrogen ion concentration. pH
value equal to 7 shows the hydrogen ion concentration is equal to hydroxide ion concentration.

A neutral solution, such as distilled water has value of hydrogen ion concentration equal to 7 on pH scale.
The acidic solution has value of hydrogen ion concentration less than 7 on pH scale. The basic solution has
value of hydrogen ion concentration greater than 7 on pH scale.
In pH scale ‘p’ stands for ‘potenz’. Potenz is a German word which means ‘power’ or ‘potential’. Here; ‘H’
stands for hydrogen ion. Thus, pH means the potential of hydrogen or power of hydrogen.
pH is defined as the decimal logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion activity (a(H+ )), in a solution.

Universal indicator shows different colour over the range of pH value from 1 to 14 for a given solution.
Universal indicator is available both in the form of strips and solution. Universal indicator is the
combination of many indicators, such as water, propanol, phelophthalein, sodium salt, sodium hydroxide,
methyl red, bromothymol blue monosodium salt, and thymol blue monosodium salt. The colour matching
chart is supplied with universal indicator which shows the different colours for different values of pH.

pH COLOUR pH COLOUR pH COLOUR


0 Dark red 5 Orange yellow 10 Navy blue
1 Red 6 Greenish yellow 11 Purple
2 Red 7 Green 12 Dark purple
3 Orange red 8 Greenish blue 13 Violet
4 Orange 9 Blue 14 Violet

The concentration of hydrogen ions in solution is expressed in terms of pH. The pH of a solution is defined as the
negative logarithm of hydrogen ion concentration in moles per litre.
pH =-log [H+]
pH =-log [H3O+]
where [H+] or [H3O+] represents concentrations of hydrogen ions in solution.
For water or neutral solutions, pH =7
For acidic solutions, pH< 7
For basic solutions, pH > 7

2
10. pH of Salts
(a) pH of salts of strong acid – strong base such as NaCl=7
(b) pH of salts of strong acid – weak base such as CuSO4 is <7
(c) pH of salts of weak acid – and strong base such as CH3COONa >7

pH values of some of the common substances


S.NO SOLUTION pH S.NO SOLUTION pH
1 Concentrated Hydrochloric acid 0 11 Saliva (before meal) 7.4
2 Dilute Hydrochloric acid 1.0 12 Saliva (after meal) 5.8
3 Gastric juice(stomach juices in 1.4 13 Blood 7.4
stomach)
4 Lemon juice 2.5 14 Eggs 7.8
5 Vinegar 4.0 15 Toothpaste 8.0
6 Tomato juice 4.1 16 Baking soda solution 8.5
7 Coffee 5.0 17 Washing soda solution 9.0
8 Soft drinks 6.0 18 Milk of magnesia 10.5
9 Milk 6.5 19 Household ammonia 11.6
10 Pure water 7.0 20 Dilute sodium hydroxide 13.0
21 Concentrated sodium hydroxide 14

Importance of pH in everyday life:

Are plants and animals pH sensitive?


Our body works within the pH range of 7.0 to 7.8. Living organisms can survive only in a narrow range of pH
change. When pH of rain water is less than 5.6, it is called acid rain. When acid rain flows into the rivers, it lowers
the pH of the river water. The survival of aquatic life in such rivers becomes difficult.

Acids in other planets


The atmosphere of venus is made up of thick white and yellowish clouds of sulphuric acid. Do you think life can
exist on this planet?

What is the pH of the soil in your backyard?


Plants require a specific pH range for their healthy growth. To find out the pH required for the healthy growth of
a plant, you can collect the soil from various places and check the pH in the manner described below in Activity.
Also, you can note down which plants are growing in the region from which you have collected the soil.

Activity
Put about 2 g soil in a test tube and add 5 mL water to it.
Shake the contents of the test tube.
Filter the contents and collect the filtrate in a test tube.
Check the pH of this filtrate with the help of universal indicator paper.
What can you conclude about the ideal soil pH for the growth of plants in your region?

pH in our digestive system


It is very interesting to note that our stomach produces hydrochloric acid. It helps in the digestion of food without
harming the stomach. During indigestion the stomach produces too much acid and this causes pain and irritation.
To get rid of this pain, people use bases called antacids. One such remedy must have been suggested by you at
the beginning of this Chapter. These antacids neutralise the excess acid. Magnesium hydroxide (Milk of
magnesia), a mild base, is often used for this purpose.

3
pH change as the cause of tooth decay
Tooth decay starts when the pH of the mouth is lower than 5.5. Tooth enamel, made up of calcium phosphate is
the hardest substance in the body. It does not dissolve in water, but is corroded when the pH in the mouth is
below 5.5. Bacteria present in the mouth produce acids by degradation of sugar and food particles remaining in
the mouth after eating. The best way to prevent this is to clean the mouth after eating food. Using toothpastes,
which are generally basic, for cleaning the teeth can neutralise the excess acid and prevent tooth decay.

Self defence by animals and plants through chemical warfare


Have you ever been stung by a honey-bee? Bee-sting leaves an acid which causes pain and irritation. Use of a
mild base like baking soda on the stung area gives relief. Stinging hair of nettle leaves inject methanoic acid
causing burning pain.

Nature provides neutralization options


Nettle is a herbaceous plant which grows in the wild. Its leaves have stinging hair, which cause painful stings
when touched accidentally. This is due to the methanoic acid secreted by them. A traditional remedy is rubbing
the area with the leaf of the dock plant, which often grows beside the nettle in the wild.

Task 1:

Task 2:

You might also like