Explaining

Prepared by
Ms. Namrata Singh
Good morning dear all,
Hope your Dashain holidays were well spent. Today we will enter the
chemical world of Science and start our new lesson “Explaining
properties of matter”. In this lesson, we will learn about physical and
chemical properties, pH, indicators, acidity and alkanity. Let us now
discuss the difference between physical and chemical property.

Love,
Ms. Namrata
All substances have physical properties
and chemical properties:
 A physical property is a property that can be observed or measured
without the substance undergoing any chemical change (e.g. density,
hardness, colour, conductivity, malleability, lustre, melting and boiling
points, solubility, elasticity)

 Eg: Water
-Water is a colourless and tasteless liquid.
-The molecules of water have extensive hydrogen bonds.
-They have high melting and boiling points.
• The molecules in water have hydrogen bonding between them.
• The boiling and melting point of water are 100° and 0° C respectively.
• The three states water can have are- solids, liquids, and gas.
• Water has a polar nature because of which it can dissolve almost
every substance and is hence called the universal solvent.
• The density of water is known to be as 0.99 g/ml, at 4° C.
Good afternoon dear all,
I hope you went through what acids, bases and neutral
substances are. Today we will discuss about them and
continue with the chemical properties of substances. We will
also discuss about various properties of acids, bases and
neutral substances.

Love,
Ms. Namrata
• A chemical property is any property that describes the potential
of a substance to undergo a chemical change or reaction due to
its composition (e.g. hydrogen has the potential to ignite and
explode given the right conditions; the reaction of a substance
with air, water, acid or other chemicals).
• Eg: Water (H2+O2→H2O)
-The chemical formula of water is H2O
-Water reacts with a lot of substances to form different compounds.
-Water can act as both an acid and a base which means water can act
as both a proton donor and a proton acceptor.
Write physical properties of lemon and soap
respectively.
Lemon:
The lemon is a round, slightly elongated fruit, it has a strong and
resistant skin, with an intense bright yellow colour when it is totaly ripe,
giving off a special aroma when it is cut.
Soap:
Soaps are water-soluble, fatty acid sodium salts. They produce lather in
soft water. They are either liquid or solid. They are slippery in touch.
Acidity or alkalinity of a substance is a
chemical property and is measured by pH
• An acid is a substance that donates hydrogen ions. Because of this,
when an acid is dissolved in water, the balance between hydrogen
ions and hydroxide ions is shifted. Now there are more hydrogen ions
than hydroxide ions in the solution. This kind of solution is acidic.
• A base is a substance that accepts hydrogen ions. When a base is
dissolved in water, the balance between hydrogen ions and hydroxide
ions shifts the opposite way. Because the base "soaks up" hydrogen
ions, the result is a solution with more hydroxide ions than hydrogen
ions. This kind of solution is alkaline.
• The neutral substance is a substance which is not acidic or basic, has
the same amount of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, and does not alter
the colour of the litmus surface.
1. Properties of Acids

• Acids are corrosive in nature.

• They are good conductors of electricity.
• Their pH values are always less than 7.
• When reacted with metals, these substances produce hydrogen gas.
• Acids are sour in taste.
• Examples: Sulfuric acid [H2SO4], Hydrochloric acid [HCl], Acetic acid
[CH3COOH].
2. Properties of Bases
• Some properties, like a bitter taste, are owned by all bases. The bases
feel slippery, too. Dream on what slippery soap looks like. And this is a
foundation. Furthermore, when immersed in water, bases conduct
electricity because they consist of charged particles in the solution.
• They are found to have a soapy texture when touched.
• These substances release hydroxide ions (OH– ions) when dissolved in
water.
• In their aqueous solutions, bases act as good conductors of electricity.
• The pH values corresponding to bases are always greater than 7.
• Bases are bitter-tasting substances which have the ability to turn red
litmus paper blue.
• Examples: Sodium hydroxide [NaOH], Calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2].
3. Neutral Substances

• The neutral substance is a substance which is not acidic or basic, has

the same amount of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, and does not alter
the colour of the litmus surface.
• These substances do not display any acidic or basic characteristics.
• Their pH values approximate to 7.
• Neutral substances have no effect on red or blue litmus paper.
• The pH of pure water is exactly 7.
• Examples: Water, Common salt (NaCl)
pH of Acids and Bases
• What is pH?
pH is defined as the negative logarithm of H+ ion concentration. Hence
the meaning of the name pH is justified as the power of hydrogen.
pH = -log [H+]
• In order to find the numeric value of the level of acidity or basicity of
a substance, the pH scale (wherein pH stands for ‘potential of
hydrogen’) can be used.
• The pH scale is the most common and trusted way to measure how
acidic or basic a substance is.
• A pH scale measure can vary from 0 to 14, where 0 is the most acidic
and 14 is the most basic a substance can be.
Some Questions:
• What is pH scale in chemistry?
-The pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions, the acidity or
alkalinity of a solution. The pH-scale is normally between 0 and 14.
Aqueous solutions at 25 ° C with a pH of less than 7 are acidic and basic or
alkaline solutions are those with a pH greater than 7.
• What is the best pH for the human body?
-For our blood and body tissues the optimum pH is about 7.2. (The use of
saliva and urine test strips will show a much lower pH level due to the
protein present in the solution. A healthy body saliva and urine tests
should have a pH of 6.6 to 6.8 approximately.) Acidosis is a condition of
excess acidity in the blood and body tissue.
• What is the full form of pH?
-pH stands for Hydrogen potentials. It refers to the concentration of the
hydrogen ions in a solution. This is the indicator of a solution’s acidity
or alkalinity. The pH value on a pH-scale varies from 0 to 14.

• Write in short about Universal indicator.

• -A universal indicator is a mixture of different types of indicators that
exhibits different coloration at different pH levels. It is used to detect
the acidic or basic nature of a substance or a solution. It can be in the
form of a paper strip or a solution. Example: Methyl red, and
Phenolphthalein.
List at least one example each of substances with different pH values in the given pH chart.

pH Value Example

0 battery acid, HCl

1 gastric acid in stomach
2 lemon juice, vinegar
3 orange juice, soda
4 tomato juice, acid rain
5 black coffee, bananas
6 urine, milk
7 pure water
pH Value Example
8 sea water, eggs, blood
9 baking soda
10 Great Salt Lake, milk of magnesia
11 ammonia solution
12 soapy water
13 bleach, oven cleaner
14 liquid drain cleaner
Another way to check if a substance is acidic
or basic is to use litmus paper.
• There are two types of litmus paper available that can be used to
identify acids and bases – red litmus paper and blue litmus paper.
• Blue litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions and red litmus
paper turns blue under basic or alkaline conditions.
Hazard symbols for testing the acidity and alkalinity of solutions.
Difference between acid and base
Alloy
• An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals, or a metal and a non
metal.
• A few other terms for “alloy” are: mixture, fusion, amalgam, solid
solution, and admixture.
• Alloys tend to have better properties when compared to the
properties of the constituent substance they are made of.
• Almost all the alloys are lustrous (which can be explained by the
presence of the metallic component in their composition).
• Alloys are mixtures that have different chemical and physical
properties from the constituent substances.
• Converting pure metals into alloys often increases the strength
of the product.
• For example, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; brass is
stronger than copper or zinc alone.
• ‘Tensile strength’ is another way of measuring strength; this is
how easy it is to break a substance by pulling on it.
 Some common alloys
Alloy type Combination Uses
Steel Iron+Carbon+Other elements In making utensils,
automobiles, etc
Brass Copper+Zinc+Other elements In making utensils.

Bronze Copper+Tin+Other elements In making coins, bell and

utensils
Duralumin Aluminum+Copper+Magnesium+Manganese Aircraft construction, vehicle
armor
Pewter Tin+Antimony+Copper. Jewelry, Flasks,
Tablewares,etc
Solder Tin+Lead attach components to printed
circuit boards
Some physical properties of alloys are:

• Alloys are harder than their constituent metals.

• Alloys are more resistant to corrosion than pure metals.
• Alloys are more durable than the metals they are made from.
• The electrical conductivity of alloys is lower than that of pure metals.
• Alloys have a lower melting point than the metals from which they
are made.
• Alloys are lustrous due to the presence of metals in their composition.
• Alloys have greater ductility than their constituent metals.
Some chemical properties of alloys are:

• Susceptible to corrosion unless surface treated or stainless alloy

• Readily reacts with oxygen
• Reactive to acids and alkalis
• Non-magnetic
• Most of them are non- flammable
Explaining alloy hardness
• In the solid state, a pure metal has a giant metallic structure
• The atoms are arranged in layers. When a force is applied, the layers
may slide over each other. The greater the force needed, the harder
and stronger the metal.
• In a pure metal, the force needed to make the layers slide over each
other is small. This explains why many pure metals are soft.
• In an alloy, there are atoms of different sizes. The smaller or bigger
atoms distort the layers of atoms in the pure metal. This means that a
greater force is required for the layers to slide over each other. The
alloy is harder and stronger than the pure metal.
• Explain why steel, which is an alloy of iron, is harder than pure iron.
-Steel contains atoms of other elements as well as iron. These atoms
have different sizes to iron atoms, so they distort the layers of atoms in
the pure iron. This means that a greater force is required for the layers
to slide over each other in steel, so steel is harder than pure iron.
• Why are alloys preferred over metals?
-Alloys are frequently superior to pure metals because:
i) Alloys are more physically durable than pure metals.
ii) Alloys are also less reactive to the environment, which extends their
life.
iii) Alloys have better physical and chemical properties than pure
metals.
• Are alloys compounds or mixtures?
-Alloys are metal mixtures or metal mixtures with another element. An
alloy can be a solid solution of metal elements (a homogeneous
mixture) or a metallic phase mixture (a heterogeneous mixture of two
or more solutions).
• What is one of the most significant advantages of alloys?
-Corrosion resistance is being improved. Alloys can withstand high-
temperature oxidation much better than pure metals.