8.

Acids, bases and salts

8.1 THE CHARACTERISITC PROPERTIES OF ACI DS AND BASES

Syllabus Contents
8.1 The characteristic properties of acids and bases

• Describe the characteristic properties of acids as reactions with metals,

bases, carbonates and effect on litmus
• Describe the characteristic properties of bases as reactions with acids
and with ammonium salts and effect on litmus
• Define acids and bases in terms of proton transfer
• Describe the meaning of weak and strong acids and bases
• Describe neutrality and relative acidity and alkalinity in terms of pH
(whole numbers only) measured using Universal indicator paper
• Describe and explain the importance of controlling acidity in soil

ACIDS

Acids are proton donors because they give away H+ ions when reacting with a base.
Acids have a pH number less than 7. It turns blue litmus paper red and universal indicator red.
Acids dissolve in water producing H+ ions and have a sour taste. Strong acids are corrosive.

REACTIONS OF ACIDS WITH METALS

Acid + metal → salt + hydrogen

REACTION OF ACIDS WITH BASES

Oxides: acid + metal oxide → salt + water

Hydroxides: acid + metal hydroxide → salt + water
Carbonates: acid + metal carbonate → salt + water + carbon dioxide

BASES

Bases are proton acceptors because they accept H+ ions by bonding them with OH- ions. Bases have a
pH greater than 7 and they turn red litmus paper blue and universal indicator blue.
Bases are made of hydroxide ions and a metal, and can be in the form of metal hydroxide, metal
oxide, metal carbonate, metal hydrogen carbonate, ammonium hydroxide or ammonium
carbonate [note: ammonium ions are not metals, they are exceptions]. Bases have a bitter taste and
strong ones are corrosive.
Not all bases are soluble, some are insoluble.
Soluble bases are also called alkali. Bases react with acids as mentioned in the acids section.

Ammonia is not a metal but it is a base because it accepts protons: NH3 + H+ → NH4+

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 STRONG AND WEAK ACIDS AND BASES

The amount of H+ ions an acid can give and the amount of OH- ions a base can give determines its
strength. Strong acids give large amounts of ions, they dissociate fully – for example, nitric acid,
hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid are all strong acids, they have a pH of 0 - 3. Weak acids dissociate
partially – for example, citric acid, ethanoic acid and carbonic acid (H2CO3) are all weak acids, they
have a pH of 4-6.

The universal indicator indicates the acidity and alkalinity of substances. The greater the colour change,
the stronger the acid or base.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
← Acidity increases Neutral Alkalinity increase →

A pH paper can be used to measure the pH of a substance.

IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING ACIDITY IN SOIL

It is important to control the acidity in soil because plants prefer a soil pH of about 7; they do not grow
well in acidic soils and controlling the acidity increases crop yield.

8.2 TYPES OF OXIDES

Syllabus Contents
8.2 Types of oxides

• Classify oxides as either acidic or basic, related to metallic or non-

metallic character
• Further classify other oxides as neutral or amphoteric

Acidic oxides Basic oxides Amphoteric oxides Neutral oxides

Non-metal oxides are Metal oxides are basic Amphoteric oxides are Non-metal monoxides
acidic oxides (except oxides. oxides which act as are neutral (monoxide
non-metal monoxides). either a base or an acid. means one oxygen
They are solids at room atom).
They are gases at room temperature. All metal Oxides of aluminium,
temperature. oxides are insoluble in zinc and lead are For example:
water except group 1 amphoteric. Carbon monoxide (CO),
For example: metal oxides. nitrogen monoxide (NO)
Nitrogen dioxide, and water (H2O) are all
carbon dioxide, sulfur For example: neutral.
dioxide are all acidic. Calcium oxide and
magnesium oxide.

Acidic oxides react with Basic oxides react with They act as a base Neutral oxides have a
bases to form salt and acids to form salt and when reacting with an pH of 7 and react with
water. water. acid and they act as an neither a base nor an
acid when reacting with acid.
a base.

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8.3 PREPARATION OF SALTS

Syllabus Contents
8.3 Preparation of salts

• Describe the preparation, separation and purification of salts as

examples of some of the techniques specified in section 2.2(b) and the
reactions specified in section 8.1
• Describe the preparation of insoluble salts by precipitation
• Suggest a method of making a given salt from suitable starting material,
given appropriate information

PREPARTION OF SALTS

Salts are ionic compounds which are formed when an acid reacts with a base. There are three ways to
make salts: displacement, neutralisation and titration.

DISPLACEMENT

Displacement is used to make salts of metals above hydrogen in

the reactivity series; however the most reactive ones are not used Filtrate: the solution which
because they will cause an explosion: passes through the filter
metal + acid → salt + hydrogen paper.
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1. Add 100cm of acid to a beaker.
2. Add excess metal (powdered because the reaction will happen Residue: the insoluble
faster as powdered metals have a bigger surface area) impurities which are left out,
3. The reaction will occur and the excess magnesium must be for example, an insoluble
removed by filtration. substance added in excess.
4. The filtrate is the metal salt, to obtain powders of the metal salt,
evaporate it till it becomes dry and to obtain crystals of the metal salt, evaporate the solution partially
(because the crystals need to be hydrated) and then cool down. When the crystals are formed, dry
them between two filter papers.

NEUTRALISATION

Metal oxide Metal hydroxide Metal carbonate

1. Add an acid to the beaker. 1. Add an acid to the beaker. 1. Add an acid to the beaker.
2. Add excess metal oxide. 2. Add excess metal hydroxide. 2. Add excess metal carbonate.
3. Let the reaction occur and 3. Let the reaction occur and 3. Let the reaction occur and
filter any excess reactants. filter any excess reactants. filter any excess reactants.
4. Heat the filtrate to evaporate 4. Heat the filtrate to evaporate 4. Heat the filtrate to evaporate
the water so the product can be the water so the product can be the water so the product can be
obtained. obtained. obtained.

This is the only neutralisation in

which carbon dioxide is
produced so there will be some
fizzing (bubbles).

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TITRATION

This reaction is a type of neutralisation without adding any excess solution.

1. Add 25 cm3 of base, for example sodium hydroxide using a volumetric pipette into a flask.
2. Add few drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the flask, this indicator is pink in basic conditions.
3. Fill a burette with an acid (the acid always goes in the burette).
4. Slowly add drops of acid into the flask until the solution turns colourless. Record the amount of acid
used and repeat the experiment without an indicator.

In some experiments, the indicator is not used at all because the solution itself has a colour.

PREPARATION OF INSOLUBLE SALTS

The reactants in a precipitation reaction are always soluble salts.

1. Add two salt solutions together and mix

2. The solutions will diffuse and react
3. A precipitation will form and excess solution will be left out. Filter to remove the precipitate. Wash
the residue with distilled water and dry in an oven.

Insoluble salts
Silver and lead chloride and iodide
Calcium, barium and lead sulfates
All carbonates except group 1 metals and ammonium carbonates
All metal oxides except calcium, barium and group 1 metal oxides

COLOUR OF COMPOUNDS

Compounds Colour (when solid) Colour (when in solution)

Copper oxide Black Insoluble
Copper nitrate Blue crystals Blue
Copper chloride Green Green
Copper carbonate Green Insoluble
Hydrated copper sulfate Blue crystals Blue
Anhydrous copper sulfate White powder Blue
Iron(II) salts Pale green crystals Pale green
Iron(III) salts Red-brown crystals Red-brown
Cobalt(II) salts - Pink
Magnesium oxide White Insoluble
Lead iodide Yellow Insoluble
Silver iodide Creamy-yellow Insoluble

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8.4 INDENTIFICATION OF IONS AND GASES

Syllabus Contents
8.4 Identification of ions and gases

• Describe the following tests to identify:

Aqueous cations:
aluminium, ammonium, calcium, copper(II), iron(II), iron(III) and
zinc (Formulae of complex ions are not required.)
Anions:
carbonate, chloride, iodide, nitrate, sulfate
Gases:
Ammonia, carbon dioxide, chlorine, hydrogen, oxygen

TESTS FOR AQUEOUS CATIONS:

METAL IONS

1. Take a small amount of solution.

2. Add few drops of dilute sodium hydroxide or aqueous ammonia.
3. If a coloured precipitate forms, it indicates the presence of Cu2+, Fe2+ or Fe3+. The metal ions
react with the hydroxide ions forming metal hydroxides.
4. If a white precipitate forms, it indicates the presence of Al3+, Zn2+ or Ca2+.

Effect of aqueous sodium

Cation Effect of aqueous ammonia
hydroxide
Aluminium (Al3+) White precipitate, soluble in White precipitate, insoluble in
excess excess
Zinc (Zn2+) White precipitate, soluble in White precipitate, soluble in
excess giving a colourless excess giving a colourless
solution solution
Calcium (Ca2+) White precipitate, insoluble in No precipitate or a very
excess slight white precipitate.
Copper (Cu2+) Light blue precipitate, Light blue precipitate, soluble
insoluble in excess in excess giving a dark blue
solution
Iron(II) (Fe2+) Green precipitate, insoluble in Green precipitate, insoluble in
excess excess
Iron(III) (Fe3+) Red-brown precipitate, Red-brown precipitate,
insoluble in excess insoluble in excess

AMMONIUM IONS (NH4+)

Add dilute sodium hydroxide solution and warm. Ammonia will be produced which turns damp red
litmus paper blue.

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 TESTS FOR ANIONS:

Anion Test Test result

Carbonate (CO32-) Add dilute acid Effervescence, carbon dioxide
produced
Chloride (Cl-) Acidify with dilute nitric acid, White precipitate
[in solution] then add aqueous silver nitrate
Iodide (I-) (or lead nitrate). Yellow precipitate
[in solution]
Nitrate (NO3-) Add aqueous sodium hydroxide, Ammonia produced
[in solution] then aluminium foil; warm
carefully
Sulfate (SO42-) Acidify, then add aqueous White precipitate
[in solution] barium nitrate

TESTS FOR GASES

Gas Test Test result

Ammonia (NH3) Damp red litmus paper Turns blue
Carbon dioxide (CO2) Pass through limewater Turns milky
Chlorine (Cl2) Damp litmus paper Bleaches
Hydrogen (H2) Hold a lighted splint Pops
Oxygen (O2) Hold a glowing splint Relights
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) Damp blue litmus paper Turns red
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) Pass through acidified potassium Turns from orange to green
dichromate(VI)