3 Flashcards
what is pH
pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution is. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14 (see Figure 1).
* Anything that forms a solution with a pH of less than 7 is an acid. The lower the pH, the more acidic the solution.
* Anything that forms a solution with a pH of greater than 7 is an alkali The higher the pH, the more alkaline the substance is.
* Neutral substances are neither acidic nor alkaline and have a pH of exactly 7. Pure water is an example of a neutral substance.
what is a base
A base is a substance that reacts with an acid to produce a salt and water.
what is an Alkali
An alkali is a base that is soluble in water.
Acids and bases in solution
When a substance is dissolved in water, the pH of the solution depends on the type of ions that are released by the substance.
* Acids release hydrogen ions (H+) when they are in an aqueous solution.
* Alkalis form OH- ions (otherwise known as hydroxide ions) in water.
Concentrations of ions
The higher the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution, the more acidic it is, so the lower its pH will be. So, as the concentration of hydrogen ions increases, the pH decreases. In alkaline solutions, the higher the concentration of OH- ions, the higher the pH.
Measuring the pH of a solution
You can measure the pH of a solution using an indicator. An indicator is a dye that changes colour depending on whether it’s above or below a certain ph.
Indicators are simple to use - add a few drops to the solution you’re testing, then compare the colour the solution goes to a pH chart for that indicator. For example, Universal indicator gives the colours shown in Figure 1.
they can be used either in solution or the solution can be dried on paper to make test papers.
Phenolphthalein
- -colourless in acids
- -colourless in neutral Solutions
- -pink in alkalis
methyl orange
- -pink in acids
- -orange in neutral Solutions
- -yellow in alkalis
universal indicator
universal indicator is a mixture of several different indicators. Universal indicator can indicate the strength of the acid or alkali
Red litmus paper
Red litmus paper turns blue when alkalise are added. it’s used to test for alkalis.
blue litmus paper
blue litmus paper turns red when acids are added. it is used to test for acids
What are neutralisation reactions?
An acid will react with a base to form a salt and water - this is called a neutralisation reaction. The general equation for a neutralisation reaction is shown below.
acid + base → salt + water
ionic equation for Neutralisation reactions
Neutralisation reactions between acids and bases can also be shown as an ionic equation in terms of H+ and OH- ions. During neutralisation reactions, hydrogen ions (H+) from the acid react with hydroxide ions (OH) from the base to produce water. The equation for this reaction is:
H+(aq) + OH-(aq) → H2O (l)
When an acid neutralises a base (or vice versa), the solution that’s formed is neutral it has a pH of 7. At pH 7, the concentration of hydrogen ions is equal to the concentration of hydroxide ions. An indicator can be used to show that a neutralisation reaction is over.
Investigating neutralisation reactions
You’ve got to know how to investigate how the pH of a solution of dilute hydrochloric acid changes on addition of calcium oxide. Calcium oxide is a base. It reacts with hydrochloric acid to give calcium chloride (a salt) and water. The equation for the reaction is:
2HCI + CaO → CaCl2 + H₂O
Dissociation of acids
When acids are added to an aqueous solution they ionise (or dissociate) to produce H+ ions and another type of ion (which is negatively charged).
e.g. Hydrogen chloride dissolves in water to form hydrogen ions and chloride ions:
HCl (g) → H+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)
Investigating neutralisation reactions - method
- Measure out 150 cm³ of dilute hydrochloric acid into a conical flask. Use a pipette or a measuring cylinder for this (see p.321-322).
- Measure out 0.5 g of calcium oxide using a mass balance.
- Carefully add the calcium oxide to the hydrochloric acid.
- Wait for the base to completely react, then record the pH of the solution, using either a pH probe (see page 323) or Universal indicator paper. (You can use a glass rod to spot samples of the solution onto the paper).
- Repeat steps 2 to 4 until all the acid has reacted. You’ll know you’ve reached this point when unreacted calcium oxide starts to collect at the bottom of the flask.
- You can then plot a graph to see how pH changes with the mass of base added (see Figure 3).
Acid strength
The strength of an acid tells you about the proportion of acid particles that will dissociate to produce H+ ions in solution.
Strong acids
Strong acids, such as sulfuric (H2SO4), hydrochloric (HCI) and nitric acid (HNO3) ionise almost completely in water-most of the acid particles dissociate to release H+ ions. Strong acids tend to have low pHs (pH 0-2).
e.g. Nitric acid ionises completely in water to form hydrogen ions and nitrate ions:
HNO3 (l) → H+ (aq) + NO3 - (aq)
Sulfuric acid also ionises completely but releases two hydrogen ions for every molecule of sulfuric acid:
H₂SO4(l) → 2H+ (aq) + SO4 2- (aq)