STUDENT BOOK ANSWERS

Unit 4: Everyday acids and bases

Review, page 66
1 An acid is a substance that tastes sour, reacts with bases and has a pH of less than 7. Examples include vinegar
(acetic acid, ethanoic acid), carbonic acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid and tartaric acid.
2 Carbonic acid (carbon dioxide dissolved in water), citric acid, phosphoric acid
3 A base is a substance that tastes bitter, reacts with acids and has a pH of more than 7. Examples include soap,
ammonia, caustic soda, baking powder and sodium bicarbonate.
4 Acids and bases react together to neutralise each other.
5 An alkali is a base that is dissolved in water, such as: toothpaste, cleaning liquid (ammonia solution).

Review, page 72
1 

2 Litmus indicators tells you if something is acid or alkaline – red litmus paper remains red if it is dipped in an acid
and turns blue if it is dipped in an alkali. Blue litmus paper turns red if it is dipped in an acid and remains blue if it
is dipped in an alkali.
Universal indicator can turn a range of colours depending on the pH of the solution. For example, if a solution is
very acidic the indicator will turn red, if the solution is neutral it will turn green, and if the solution is very basic it
will turn blue.
3 Plants prefer a specific pH – if a farmer/gardener is planting a specific type of plant, it is important that they
know what pH the soil should be to best sustain the plant.
4 If the pH is too high, it will be a good breeding place for bacteria and algae.
5 It contains a soluble pigment than changes colour when it is mixed with solutions of different pH. If the pH is less
than 7, the pigment turns different shades of pink and purple; if it is more than 7, it turns different shades of
blue-green.

Review, page 74
1 A concentrated acid has a large amount of acid per unit volume of water. A dilute acid has a small amount of
acid per unit volume of water.
2 Add acid slowly to water.
3 It can eat away at skin, metal and rock.
4 The pH decreases towards 7.0.
5 Use sodium bicarbonate on all spills; wear gloves when handling strong acids or bases (oven cleaners, etc.); take
care not to inhale fumes; keep out of reach of children and babies; store safely

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Review, page 77
1 Neutralisation is the reaction that occurs between an acid and a base to change the pH of the overall solution to
7 (or as close as it can get).
2 An indigestion (antacid) tablet works by reacting with stomach acid in a neutralisation reaction. The reaction of
baking soda with acids during cooking releases gases that help the cake or bread rise. Hair conditioner is acid
and neutralises the alkalinity left in the hair by most shampoos.
3 Adding lime (calcium oxide, CaO) will increase the pH. If you add enough, you can get the pH close to 7.
4 Initially, you will not be able to see a change, but the pH will gradually increase, and if you are very careful you
will be able to get the pH to exactly 7.0.

UNIT QUESTIONS, PAGE 78

Explaining scientific knowledge
1 a False
b True
c True
d True
2 a Sodium bicarbonate
b Citric acid
c Universal indicator
d Acid rain
e Magnesium hydroxide
3 Soil with pH of 5
4 a The universal scale that is used to determine the pH of substances; a substance with pH 1 is a very
strong acid while a substance with pH 14 is a very strong base.
b A chemical that tastes sour and falls below 7 on the pH scale
c A chemical that tastes bitter and falls above 7 on the pH scale
d A soluble base
5 Acidic hair conditioner neutralises the alkaline shampoo; vinegar is used to preserve food; sulphuric acid is used
in car batteries. Toothpaste neutralises acidity in the mouth; indigestion (antacid) tablets neutralise stomach
acid; baking soda (baking powder) reacts with vinegar or any other acid to release gases that make foods such as
cakes rise.
6 The pH gradually decreases; if it is added slowly and carefully a pH of 7 can be reached – at this point, the alkali
has been neutralised. If more acid is added the pH will go below 7.

Applying scientific knowledge and understanding to solve a problem

7 It is acid.
8 Add calamine lotion to neutralise the acidic bee sting, wash hand with soap to neutralize the bee sting.
9 Oven cleaner is a strong alkaline solution and is dangerous if the fumes are inhaled. You should wear rubber
gloves and open all the windows and doors to allow good ventilation.
10 The pH of the pool might be inappropriate. The pH of the water should be between 7.0 and 7.6. If people urinate
in the water, the urine reacts with the chlorine, which can cause burning eyes. However, if this is not the case,
the pH must be too high and should be lowered.
11 Some of the reasons why lakes become acidic include acid rain and harmful algal blooms, possibly due to
eutrophication (increased availability of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that increase algal growth).
We can prevent this by reducing acidic air pollution from coal-fired stations and motor cars, and limiting
fertilisers in soil. To treat an existing problem, we can add pulverized limestone (calcium carbonate) to the lake.

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Interpreting information
12 The pH of the hair and skin is between 4.5 and 5.5, so shampoos are generally alkaline in order to thoroughly
clean the hair. A shampoo with a pH of 7 would not be effective, and you might as well use water.
13 The gardener should check the pH of the soil and research the preferred pH of tomatoes. If the soil is too acidic,
lime should be added; if the soil is too alkaline, sulfur should be added.
14 a The student began adding a very strong base (sodium hydroxide) to a very strong acid, and the pH began
to gradually increase. At a certain point, a small amount of NaOH resulted in a steep increase in pH and
suddenly the solution went from acid to alkaline. As more NaOH was added, the pH increased further.
b As NaOH was added, the pH changed because the base was starting to neutralise the acid. At the point
where the acid was completely neutralized, the solution suddenly rose to pH 7, but even the smallest
amount more NaOH immediately made the solution alkaline. As even more base was added, the
concentration kept on increasing as there was no further acid to react with, causing the pH to continue
to rise.
c Same graph shape but reversed; should decrease rather than increase. HCl or any other strong acid
should be plotted on the x-axis and pH on the y-axis.

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