Chemistry 160

Chapter 7
 Properties of acids and
bases
¢ Acids:
l Litmus indicator turns red
l Tastes sour
l Dissolves active metals
l Reacts with bases to form water and salts
¢ Bases
l Litmus indicator turns blue
l Tastes bitter
l Feels slippery on the skin
l Reacts with acids to form water and salts
 Arrhenius Theory
¢ An acid is a substance that breaks up in
aqueous solution into hydrogen ions (H+)
and anions.
¢ A base is a substance that releases
hydroxide ions (OH-) in aqueous solution.
¢ Neutralization: is the combination of H+ +
OH- to produce water.
¢ The cation associated with the OH- and the
anion associated with the H+ give rise to an
ionic compound, a salt
Ionization
 Acid, bases and salts

¢ Acid + base water + salt

¢ Limitation: free protons (H+) do not exist
in water solution.
 Bronsted-Lowry acid base
theory
¢ Acid is a proton donor
¢ Base is a proton acceptor. This definition
includes neutral molecules, such as ammonia,
and negative ions, such as carbonate (CO32-),
and bicarbonate (HCO3-).
 Bronsted-Lowry acid base
theory
¢ The ionization of HCl is explained in this
way:
l HCl + H2O H3O+(aq) + Cl- (aq)
 Example

¢ Write an equation of show the reaction of

HNO3 as a Bronsted-Lowry acid with water.
What is the role of water?
l HNO3 + H2O H3O+(aq) + NO3 (aq)
l HNO3 donates a proton, then is the acid
l H2O accepts a proton, then is the base
Strong acids and bases

¢ Strong acids: ¢ Strong bases:

l HCl l NaOH
l HBr l KOH
l HI l LiOH
l H2SO4 l Ca(OH)2
l HNO3 l Mg(OH)2
l HClO4

Weak base: NH3 (ammonia)

Weak acid: CH3COOH (acetic acid)
Strong and weak acid/base

¢ A strong acid or strong base, when

dissolved in water, will ionize
completely
¢ A weak acid or base is only slightly
ionized in water

Note: the word strong does not refer to

the amount of acid of base in the
solution (that will be concentration!)
Neutralization

¢ When an acid reacts with a base, the

products are water and a salt, and the
process is called neutralization

¢ NaOH + HCl H2O + NaCl

¢ H+ + OH- H2O
Example

¢ Write the equation for the

neutralization reaction between
potassium hydroxide (KOH) and nitric
acid (HNO3).
 Example

¢ Write the equation for the neutralization

reaction between Calcium hydroxide
(Ca(OH)2) and hydrochloric acid (HCl).
The pH scale

¢ pH scale: used to describe the degree of

acidity or basicity of a solution.
 The pH scale

¢ The numbers on the pH scale are directly

related to the hydrogen ion (H+)
concentration.
¢ pH is defined as the negative algorithm of
the molar concentration of hydrogen ions:
pH = -log [H+]
 The pH scale

¢ What is the pH of a
solution that has a
hydrogen ion
concentration of 1.0 x
10-5 M?
 Acid rain

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and

nitrogen oxides (NOx)
are the primary causes
of acid rain. In the US,
About 2/3 of all SO2 and
1/4 of all NOx comes
from electric power
generation that relies on
burning fossil fuels like
coal.
 Acid rain

¢ Power plants produce large amounts of NO(g)

which is oxidized to NO2. Then the following
reaction takes place:
l 3NO2 + H2O 2HNO3 + NO
¢ Power plants produce large amounts of SO(g)
which is oxidized producing SO2(g). Then the
following reaction takes place:
l SO2 + O3 (clouds) -> H2SO4
SO2 + H2O+ O2 (air) -> H2SO4
Acid rain
 Effects of acid rain

¢ Acid rain causes acidification of lakes and

streams and contributes to damage of trees at
high elevations (for example, red spruce trees
above 2,000 feet) and many sensitive forest
soils. In addition, acid rain accelerates the
decay of building materials and paints,
including irreplaceable buildings, statues,and
sculptures that are part of our nation's cultural
heritage.