Acid and base reactions Flashcards
What are acids?
Chemicals that have hydrogen (H) and are able to react with other chemicals to form salts.
What are bases or alkalines?
Chemicals which are essentially the opposite to acids. They can also react with other chemicals to produce, but rather contain a special oxygen - hydrogen (OH) molecule which allows them to do this.
What do we use to measure the acidity/alkalinity of a chemical?
pH scale. This is a scale that exists between 0 and 14, where 7 is neutral. Acids lie between 0 and 7 and bases lie between 7 and 14.
What are the 3 main types of acid reactions?
- Acid-metal reaction
- Acid-base (or neutralisation) reaction
- Acid-carbonate reaction
What is an acid-metal reaction?
A reaction between an acid and a metallic substance, such as iron or copper. This reaction ALWAYS produces a salt and hydrogen gas, as seen in the following word equation:
Acid + Metal ~> Salt + Hydrogen Gas
What is an acid-base reaction?
A reaction between an acidic chemical and a basic chemical. This reaction ALWAYS produces water and salt, as seen in the following word equation:
Acid + Base ~> Salt + Water
What is an Acid-carbonate reaction?
A reaction between an acid and a chemical which contains carbonate (CO3), such as sodium bicarbonate used during cooking. This reaction always produces water, a salt and carbon dioxide, as seen in the following word equation:
Acid + Metal carbonate ~> Salt + Water + Carbon dioxide
What are some examples of when acids and bases are applied in our life and in industry?
- Food and cooking
- Treating of insect stings
- Digestion via stomach acid
- Treatment of soil for growing plants
- Neutralising industrial chemical wastes
- Battery function
