The Acidic Environment Flashcards
what are some properties of acids?
- they taste sour
- they can conduct electricity
- strong concentrations will give a burning feeling during contact
what are some common acids?
vinegar(acetic acid) lemon juice(citric acid) Battery Acid(sulfuric acid) vitamin c(ascorbic acid) Nitric Acid(HNO3) Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) Carbonic acid(H2CO3)
what are some properties of bases?
- they are often bitter tasting and slippery to touch
- can conduct electricity
- strong concentrations will often give a burning sensation if it comes into contact with skin
what are some common bases?
Ammonia baking soda detergent toothpaste soap sodium hydroxide potassium hydroxide slaked lime magnesium hydroxide
ANYTHING WITH A HYDROXIDE
what are some common neutral substances?
water
salt water
ethanol
glucose solution
what is an indicator?
an indicator is a subtance which, in solution, changes colour depending on the pH of a substance
what is the disadvantage of using indicators?
indicators do not give quanitative measure of a subtances pH. it will only provide a loose guide as to how acidic or basic something is, damaging accuracy.
what is universal indicator made of ?
universal indicator is a mixture of many different indicators. it provides a range of colours over the acid-alkali range rather than the usual two colours with single indicators
what are the indicators i need to know in the hsc course?
litmus phenolphthalein methyl orange methyl red bromothymol blue
from very acidic to very basic, what colour changes occur in litmus?
red red reddish-blue blue blue
from very acidic to very basic, what colour changes occur in phenolphthalein?
colourless colourless colourless pink crimson
from very acidic to very basic, what colour changes occur in methyl orange?
red yellow yellow yellow yellow
from very acidic to very basic, what colour changes occur in methyl red?
red pink yellow yellow yellow
from very acidic to very basic, what colour changes occur in bromothymol blue?
yellow yellow blue blue blue
what are some uses of indicators in everyday life?
- testing pH of the soil
- in Fish tanks
- swimming pools
- testing domestic waste
- monitoring wastes from labs
describe why testing pH of the soil is important
differing plants, fruits, vegetables, flowers etc require different levels of pH to survive and grow
describe why testing pH in fish tanks is important
different fish survive in different pH levels, if this is not provided the fish will die. this range of pH is quite narrow however
describe why testing pH in swimming pools is important
swimming pools must be maintained and monitored at a pH that is slightly above 7 for safety reasons. no one wants to swim in acid or base
describe why testing pH in domestic waste water and in waste from laboratories is important
discharges to the sewerage system must be nearly neutral, helping to maintain a healthy environment
whats special about non metal oxides, exclusing the neautral oxides (CO, NO, N2O)?
they are acidic in solution, or act acidic when reacting with bases
what are the trends in regards to the position of metal/non metal oxides on the periodic table?
- metal oxides on the left hand side of the periodic table are generally basic
- non metal oxides on the right hand side of the periodic table are generally acidic
- semi metals can be amphoteric (acidic and basic properties) depending on their oxidation states
- bascity decreases down a group
- acidity increases up a group
- noble gases do not form oxides
what is a reversible reaction?
a reversible reaction is a reaction which can proceed in forward and backward directions.
when is a reversible reaction in a state of equilibrium?
when the forward rxn and backward rxns are occuring at the same rate.
what are the characteristics of a system which is in equilibrium?
- neither forward or backward rxn will go to completion, there will always be some product and reactant
- the concentration of products and reactans are always constant
- no matter or energy leaves the system( described as closed)
- macroscopic properties (colour,smell, pressure, temperature, state) remain constant as concentrations remain constant
- microscopic changes do occur
what is the definition of Le Chatelier’s Principle?
if a system in equilibrium is disturbed, then the system will adjust itself in order to minimise the disturbance
what is one thing that is important to remember about disturbances to an equilibrium?
the effects of the disturbance are never fully removed. they are only minimised, or lessened to a degree
what is the effect of temperature on a system in equilibrium?
-an increase in temperature will cause the system to shift in the direction that will decrease the temp of the system
for example, if the forward reaction of a reaction is exothermic, then, in response to an increase in temp, the equilibrium will shift in the backward direction to the endothermic rxn in order to decrease temperature.
THE CONVERSE OF THIS IS TRUE
what is the effect of pressure on a system in equilibrium and what is there to remember about changes in pressure?
in a rxn of gases, an increase in pressure of the system will result in a shift in the direction that results in the least number of moles of gas. for example, if a reaction involves 2 moles of reactant gas and 3 moles of product gas, the system will shift to favour the reactants in order to decrease the total amount of gaseous molecules. if temp is increased were there is an equal amount of moles of reactant and product, increasing or decreasing pressure does nothing
REMEMBER, CHANGES IN PRESSURE ONLY AFFECT GASES
CONVERSE IS TRUE
what is the effect of volume on a system in equilibrium?
affects of volume are like affects of pressure, where increasing volume is the same as decreasing pressure and decreasing volume is the same as increasing pressure.
what is the effect of differing concentrations of substances in a system which is in equilibrium?
consider the reaction of A + B -> C + D
- if more A or B is added, causes a shift to the right to convert excess A and B into C and D
- conversely, if more C or B is added, causes a shift to the left to convert excess C and D into A and B
what are the significant acidic oxides in the atomsphere?
nitrogen dioxide
nitrogen monoxide
nitrous oxide
sulfur dioxide
what are the industrial sources of sulfur dioxide?
- combustion of fossil fuels
- extraction and refinement of metals from sulfire ores, where sulfur dioxide is often released during the smelting of the ores in order to remove sulfur impurities from the metal
what are the natural sources of sulfur dioxide?
- two thirds of all sulfur dioxide are produced naturally by geothermal hot springs and volcanoes
- may arise from dihydrogen sulfide producing bacteria
what are the industrial sources of nitrogen monoxide/dioxide?
-combustion within power stations and motor vehices. high temperatures allow the conversion of oxygen and nitrogen into nitrogen monoxide, which combines with oxygen to form nitrogen monoxide
what are the natural sources of nitrogen monoxide/dioxide?
- nitrogen monoxide is produced by lightining , as the high localised temps created by lightning are enough to cause oxygen and nitrogen to from nitrogen monoxide
- nitrogen monoxide then reacts slowly to from nitrogen dioxide
what are the natural sources of nitrous oxide?
-formed by soil bacteria
what are the industrial sources of nitrous oxide?
- formed by catalytic converters in vehicles
- formed from the production of nylon
- formed from the combustion of fossil fuels
describe the evidence which suggests sulfur and nitrogen dioxide levels have increased?
well, because these oxides are soluble in water, there hasnt been a drastic increase of these gases on a global scale. this is because the water cycle effectively cleans the atmosphere of these oxides on a regular basis
however, trapped air bubbles in the arctic ice have shown and increase in the concentration of these gases when compared to the current composition of the atmosphere today. however, because these concnentrations are so small, they are hard to measure accurately and therefore may not be considered valid
describe the evidence which talks about the increase of nitrous oxides over the decades
despite the relatively stable sulfur and nitrogen dioxide levels, nitrous oxide levels in australia have increased drastically by over 130% beginning from the 1990’s, with most of this being attributed to the use of fertilisers
what is the evidence that suggests there has been an increase in CO2 levels over the past two centuries?
- the current figure of CO2 is 360ppm, and it is rising
- this concentration is much larger than nitrogen and sulfur dioxide and so its easier to measure accurately
- carbonates are also insoluble in water unlike sulfates and nitrates. this allows past concentrations levels to be observed, while sulfates and nutrates are chemically changed and thus cannot be used for comparison
what conclusion can be made about the evidence surrounding acidic oxide increases?
any measurements obtained lack any real figures to compare with, as accurate methods of measurement have only been developed within the last few decades
whats the formulas for moles and concentration?
n=m/mr
c=n/v
C1V1=C2V2
how is acid rain formed ?
acid rain is formed when high enough concentrations of acidic oxides such as sulfur and nitrogen dioxide which are soluble dissolve in water and lower its pH
what are the effects of acid rain on the environment and infrastructure?
- increases the acidity of lakes to the point for marine life can no longer inhabit waters for extended periods of time. leads to death of fish eggs and other intolerant marine life
- forests on an international scale have been ravaged by acid rain, ravaging foliage which are neccessary parts of a plant used in photosynthesis
- acidic soils increase the solubility of aluminium ions which are toxic to life when absorbed. this inteferes with the plants normal mineral uptake
- acidic conditions for plants may stunt their growth by drawing out important mineral ions such as magneisium and calcium ions
- nitrogen fixing bacteria are negatively affected by changes in soil pH, and are vitalfor healthy plant function
- leads to the corrosion and decay of structures made from limestone and marble as they cannot calcium carbonates
also causes damage to structures made from iron as iron reacts
what are the health and environmental issues associated with the release of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere?
- aggravates existing lung conditions, and can trigger ashma attacks and bronchitis
- also forms acidic rain which has its own negative effects
what are the health and environmental issues associated with the release of nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere?
- can irritate airways and be detrimental for ashmatics
- in moderate levels, long-term eposure can increase the chances of respiratory illness and sentise people with allergies
- forms an even stronger acid as compared sulfur dioxide
- FORMS PHOTOCHEMICAL SMOG which is produced as a result of sunlights action on pullutants in the atmosphere creating ozone
ozone readily oxidises bodily tissue, and it highly toxic even in low concentrations
what are the health and environmental concerns associated with the release of nitrous oxide into the atmosphere?
-has been estimated to have a global warming potential 300x higher than CO2
so, considering the issues related to the release of acidic oxides into the atmosphere, what can be said for sure?
the evidence is both plentiful and persuasive, making it abundantly clear that concerns regarding the release of sulfure dioxide and the oxides of nitrogen are in fact well founded
WHAT ARE ACIDS?
proton donors
WHAT ARE BASES?
proton acceptors
describe the ionisation of an acid in water?
when an acid dissolves in water, the acid molecule disaccociates into its invididual ions, a hydrogen cation and an anion.
the hydrogen ion formed reacts with water to form the cation called the hydronium ion
what are names given to acids in respect to how many protons they donate?
monoprotic- one proton
diprotic-two protons
triprotic-three protons
essentially, what is the hydrogen ion?
a proton