[chem] acids, bases and salts Flashcards
classes of acids
inorganic and organic
where are inorganic acids from
prepared in the laboratory from mineral elements or inorganic matter
where are organic acids from
obtained from plants and animals
examples of inorganic acids
- hydrochloric acid (HCl)
- nitric acid (HNO3)
- sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
- phosphoric acid (H3PO4)
- carbonic acid (H2CO3)
examples of organic acids
- ethanoic acid
- citric acid
- ascorbic acid
- tartaric acid
- lactic acid
- tannic acid
- formic/methanoic acid
what are acids
an acid is a substance which dissociates in water/aqueous solutions to give hydrogen ions. all acids contains H+ ions
what do pure acids exist as
simple covalent molecules, they react with water to give hydrogen ions
when is reversible and normal arrow used (for dissociation equation of acid)
normal arrow used for complete dissociation
reversible reaction arrow used for partial dissociation
what gives the properties of the acids
hydrogen ions
nature of solution when hydrogen chloride dissolved in an organic solvent and why
neutral solution, in absence of water, hydrogen chloride still exists as simple molecules, and no hydrogen ions are formed
nature of solution when hydrogen chloride dissolved in water and why
acidic solution. hydrogen chloride dissociates in water to produce hydrogen ions and chloride ions, the hydrogen ions are responsible for the acidic property
what is basicity of an acid
basicity of an acid is the maximum number of hydrogen ions produced by one molecule of the acid when the acid molecule dissociates in water
what are the 3 basicity of acids
monobasic, dibasic, tribasic
examples of monobasic acids
hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, ehtanoic acid
examples of dibasic acid
sulfuric acid, carbonic acid
examples of tribasic acids
phosphoric acid
what does strength of acid depend on
the extent of dissociation/ionisation of the acid molecule in water/aqueous solution
what is strong acid, and examples
- a strong acid is one that completely dissociates in water to give hydrogen ions
- hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid
what is a weak acid and examples
- a weak acid is one that partially dissociates in water to give hydrogen ions
- ethanoic acid, carbonic acid, phosphoric acid
what is concentration of solution
concentration of a solution is a measure of how much solute has dissolved in 1dm3 of the solution
unit for concentration
mol/dm3
why can aqueous acids conduct electricity
in the presence of water, acid molecules are able to dissociate to form ions. these ions can move freely in water to conduct electricity.
how to explain for strong or weak acid
- ___ is a strong/weak acid
- which completely/partially dissociates in water to form hydrogen ions
- thus, there is a high/low concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution to react with ____
properties of acids (physical)
- sour
- ph<7
- turns blue litmus paper red
- conducts electricity
chemical properties of acids
- acids react with:
- metals above hydrogen in the reactivity series
- metal carbonates/metal hydrogen carbonates
- bases (metal oxides/hydroxides)
memorise the solubility table
refer to notes
observation for reaction between acid and metal
- effervescence of colourless, odourless gas observed
- gas extinguishes a lighted splint with a pop sound
- gas is hydrogen
metals above the reactivity series
K
Na
Ca
Mg
Al
Zn
Fe
Sn
Pb
metals under reactivity series
Cu
Ag
Au
Pt
why will some reactive metals have no apparent reaction with acids?
- lead metal appears not to react with hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid
- the initial reaction produces a layer of lead(II) chloride or lead (II) sulfate. this layer is insoluble in water and forms a layer around the metal, which prevents from further reaction between the metal and the acid
observation for metal carbonate and acid
- effervescence of colourless, odourless gas observed
- gas forms white precipitate when passed into limewater
- gas is co2
why will a white precipitate be seen
carbon dioxide gas reacts with limewater to give calcium carbonate, an insoluble salt which appears as a white precipitate
what is a base
a base is a substance that reacts with an acid to form salt and water only
what are bases made of and exceptions
bases are usually metal oxides or metal hydroxides
exception is aqueous ammonia is also a base
what are alkalis
alkalis are bases that dissociate in water to produce hydroxide ions (OH-)
what are alkalis usually
metal hydroxides, exception is aqueous ammonia is also an alkali
what is strong alkali
a strong alkali completely dissociates in water to give hydroxide ions
what is weak alkali
a weak alkali partially dissociates in water to give hydroxide ions
why is ammonia gas a weak alkali when dissolved in water
- when ammonia gas dissolves in water, only a small fraction of ammonia molecules react with water to produce ammonia and hydroxide ions
- most ammonia will still remain as simple molecules in the solution
physical properties of alkalis
- bitter
- soapy
- turns red litmus paper blue
- ph>7
- can conduct electricity
chemical properties of alkalis
- alkalis react with
- acids
- ammonium salts
- some metal cations to form precipitate
observation for alkali with ammonium salt
- colourless and pungent gas is produced
- gas turns moist litmus paper blue
- gas is ammonia
why must litmus paper be moist? (ammonia)
ammonia reacts with water to produce hydroxide ions which turn the red litmus paper blue
what does test for cations (precipitation) reaction produce
it produces insoluble metal hydroxide, which appears as precipitate.
commonly used alkalis to test for cations
aqueous sodium hydroxide and aqueous ammonia
definition of precipitation
precipitation is a chemical reaction between which an insoluble produce is formed when two aqueous solutions are mixed
what is ph
ph is a measure of acidity or alkalinity in aqueous solution
what does ph measure
the concentration of hydrogen ions in the aqueous solution
number range of ph scale
0 to 14
ph ranges to types of acids
- 0-2 strongly acid
- 4-6 weakly acid
- 7 neutral
- 8-10 weakly alkaline
- 12-14 strongly alkaline
examples of neutral substances
water, aqueous sodium chloride
examples of weak alkali
aqueous sodium carbonate, aqueous sodium bicarbonate, aqueous ammonia
examples of strong alkalis
aqueous sodium hydroxide, aqueous potassium hydroxide
what is indicator
an organic compound which changes in colour in accordance with the ph of the solution
what are indicators made of
can be made from natural living organisms, like parts of plants such as leaves and flowers
5 common indicators
- litmus
- phenolphthalein
- methyl orange
- screened methyl orange
- bromothymol blue
colour of solution in litmus and ph at which colour changes
red and blue, 7
colour of solution in phenolphthalein and ph at which colour changes
colourless, pink, 9
colour of solution in methyl orange and ph at which colour changes
red, yellow, 4(turns orange)
colour of solution in screened methyl orange and ph at which colour changes
purple, green, 4(turns grey)
colour of solution in bromothymol blue and ph at which colour changes
yellow, blue, 7(turns green)
what is universal indicator
contains a mixture of dyes and can come in the form of a solution or ph paper, can give a spectrum of different colours across ph values
what is ph meter
an electrical method of measuring the ph of a solution
how to measure using ph meter
it consists of a ph electrode connected to a meter, the ph electrode is dipped into the solution and the ph value is then shown on the meter
advantages of ph meter
- more reliable and accurate
- can be used in data logging to record rapid changes in ph
problem of ph in agriculture
soils tend to become acidic from acid rain and extensive use of chemical fertilisers
solution for problem in agriculture
adding of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) to the soil to neturalise the acids, which is also known as ‘liming the soil’
why cannot add slaked lime and chemical fertiliser (ammonia nitrate) at the same time?
other than neutralising the soil, the slaked lime will react with ammonium nitrate to produce ammonia gas which will escape into the air. this will result in the loss of nitrogen content from the fertiliser added to the soil